TAKE A CHILL PILL, 2017

Rush, rush, rush, rush, rush. 

That's all I've been doing for weeks now, maybe even months.  I rush from one meeting to the next, rush to and from work, rush to complete errands, rush to get through the holidays.

Autumn into winter is one incredible mad rush with very little breathing space in between.

My break from school is full of more rushing around -- getting to the holidays, getting through the holidays; getting to the pile of work I bring home because I didn't get to it at school, getting through the pile of work I bring home.

I don't want to do this next year ... this year.  2017 is going to be different. 

My first order of business is to slow down, take care of myself.  I had a rough 2016; I don't want to do that again anytime soon.  I mean, I was up and I was down.  2016 had its moments, but it also had its moments.  The year ended like  some crazy-assed slide into home base, stealing it the whole way, ending with a huge cloud of dust wavering through the air waiting to settle.

So, I'm setting the pace for 2017.  No resolutions; just some simple thoughts on how not to end up slamming a wall face first come December 31st.  I practice my new pace today by taking a walk (it's a beautiful 42 degrees), eating healthy, enjoying a treat or two, chatting with good friends, watching sports on television (and a few other random things), and reading an entire book as I sit by the lit Christmas tree, snuggling under a quilt I made from scraps of fabric that had been sitting around for years (maybe decades). 

Oh, sure, I still have thank-you cards to write out and some chores to do (the cellar is still not finished), but today is all about me, taking time to relax and set the pace for the new year.  Chill, 2017, and we'll both reach December 31st together without the crazy hair and the saggy eyes and the bone-crunching aches.  We may not be getting any younger, but old Father Time doesn't have to know -- it can be our secret.