Who is this girl? She’s not what I ordered.

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One of the men in our office came by our desks yesterday morning. “Happy New Year!” said my cheery coworker to the man. In response, he chortled and said “I think I got a used year.” It took me a few seconds, but I quickly got what he was saying and started to giggle. He continued in sarcastic explanation, “I think I’ve seen this one before….it looks familiar.” Laughing, I commiserated out loud – “Thank God I’m not the only one who feels that way.” Misery loves company, it’s true; and in this case, misery loved my week.

2011 has started with a run of downward spirals. I can’t even blink without making some sort of mistake, and I’ve also developed a condition in which every word I say sounds even stupider than the last. Thankfully, past does not define future, and sadness does not negate happiness - nor does fault erase potential. 2011 is going to be a good year, dammit.  It has to be.

...right?

Polyanna says: Of course it is going to be better! Every year I’m alive so far has been better than the one before it, and I don’t expect that trend to end any time soon. Even 2010, which was horrendously difficult, was “good” by definition (if “good” is defined as “having a purpose in the long run”). So 2011, logically, should follow up on a lot of the things I learned and experienced last year.

I’ve been given a lot of blank slates for 2011 – in different, surprise-gift formats (journals, sketchbooks, etc) – and I admit that I’m holding tightly to the symbolism. There’s something so remarkably healing about a blank page, and I fully intend to exploit that healing power in the coming months. Yah I said it: EXPLOIT. Stubbornly. Relentlessly. Keep-all-to-my-self-ishly. You can come too if you want, but only if you bring your crayons and your own blank pages.

Happy Used Year everyone; let’s make the best of it.


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