Ah, there she is! A brand new year, laid out before us in all her mystery. Who knows what awaits us on the road of 2012? I love New Year’s with all the potential and possibilites, the schemes and dreams and ideas big and small. All that went before in the prior year is past, and let’s let go of that, shall we? It’s like the universe has a giant Etch-a-Sketch and is telling us, yea, yelling to us – Go ahead! Shake it up and start over! Let go of that last bit of stuff. Here’s a new page in your experience in this form, on this planet. And hey, this is new, so sit up and pay attention. I think most of us relish the idea of taking a new path, letting go of what didn’t work in the past and coming up with miraculous new ideas, or so we think. But by February, will the shiny new piece of exercise equipment become a convenient (if unsightly) place to hang your clothes? I read a great post the other day by Leo Babuta of Zen Habits, about the difference between making resolutions and making habits. I think this is a significant distinction, and one that I will try to implement this year. It makes a lot more sense to me to try to change one habit at a time, instead of doing what I do each year: create a long list of everything I plan to do, with due dates. It’s like making an Excel spreadsheet of my life. That’s good for some specific projects, but not for an overarching way to live. Kind of restrictive, not to mention disappointing, because I never live up to my list. Do you? Does anyone?  But I think I can work on changing on habit at a time, for the long term. Happy New Year, dear reader. We greet you, 2012, with a loving embrace. Thanks for giving us a fresh start.