Last year on January 1st, we drove about an hour across the state to celebrate our children's Great Grandmother's 91st birthday. We gave what feels like hundreds of hugs and took lots of family photos.
On the ride home, the sunset was so beautiful, we actually pulled off the Interstate into a "scenic overlook" area to get a better view. I snapped this lovely picture. If you look carefully, my son is goofing around and acting like he's going to push his sister over the edge.
In hindsight, this seems like perhaps a perfect photo for the first day of 2020.
I'm not making resolutions this year, I doubt many people are. What I am making, though, is a list of things I am absolutely going to do once it's safe to (oh please, oh please, let that be this year), like:
1. Drive my family that hour across the state and hug the heck out of that 92-year-old. (Also drive my family a little over an hour south and do the same to the new baby in our family. And basically just HUG everyone I've missed hugging.)
2. I am going to have parties upon parties. I am going to hire a live band for at least one of them, if not more. I am going to embarrass my younger children with my dancing.
3. I have a
few friends that are several decades older than me (because I am a very lucky person). A pair of them used to grab
an occasional weekday lunch with me, another would sometimes treat me to
a day drink at a bar. I am definitely prioritizing both of those things.
4. I am getting a goddamn mani-pedi. I don't need them often, but you know, about once a year I feel like I need some assistance in taming these wild cuticles and softening up these sandpaper heels. I promise I will double-tip for all the extra work they'll have to do. Um, maybe triple. Things are getting bad over here.
5. I am going to go to my favorite local dive bar with my friends. It will be karaoke night, and I will walk in and announce that James Brown sent me. (I feel like I've been hearing him sing, "Tell them James Brown sent you" for years and I think it's high time I listened to the man.)
I am not going to spend my free drink token because they're going to need cash (and also ever since I first got this I decided I'd like it to be the kind of thing my grandchildren see one day and shake their heads and laugh at what a character their Gigi is).
I'm going to sing my heart out and dance and laugh and talk to strangers, who will be able to hear me (as well as they can over the bar and karaoke noise) and see my facial expressions fully because I won't have a face mask on.
Oh wait, is that five already? No!!!! I didn't say anything about going on a date with my husband or an overnight away with my best girlfriends or taking a family road trip or just sitting in a coffee shop or watching my kids play sports, even on the uncomfortable school bleachers!
UGH fine. Maybe I am making one teeny tiny huge resolution: to not take any of these things for granted ever again.
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