2009 was a pretty bad year for the country, I guess, but it was a fantastic year for our family. Michael got tenure, Mom moved around the corner, Henry continued to flourish and Agatha grew from a small infant into a walking, talking, smiling, playing little person. It was the Year of Family Vacations: for the first time we took two real vacations, one to the beach and one to the woods. It was the Year of Yoga: after receiving a package of classes as a Christmas present, I went pretty much once a week all year (that's as often as I can manage to get there), and it has been a wonderful part of my life. It was the (first) Year of Being a Family of Four: very intense and exhausting, but also so exciting, interesting and fun. In fact, getting more fun all the time. And it was the the Year of the Blog: I started it in January and was surprised by what an important part of my life it became, as a way to record, memorialize and make sense of the fleeting minutia of family life. It was also often my only creative outlet during periods when I had little time for anything but the basics of survival. Thinking about the subject and tone of the blog was also helpful for thinking about my expectations and standards for myself as a parent, and what was realistic and what was a culturally-imposed phony facade. I have tried to make the blog at least a little bit honest and representative of the ups and downs of life with two small children, because if it's not true, then what's the point? Yet after a busy and stressful day, I was sometimes surprised about the topic I decided to write about-- often a small happy moment or parenting victory was what I ended up blogging, not the hours-long slog or wild tantrums. When that happened, I think it helped me focus on what was important and lasting about the day's work, not on its frustrations, and in that way the blog has helped me understand, remember, and enjoy these busy days more. At any rate, I have certainly enjoyed doing it and I plan to continue in 2010. For our country, I hope for a better year; for myself, I just hope for enough sleep and energy to be able to keep up with the many joys and opportunities of my life.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year!
2009 was a pretty bad year for the country, I guess, but it was a fantastic year for our family. Michael got tenure, Mom moved around the corner, Henry continued to flourish and Agatha grew from a small infant into a walking, talking, smiling, playing little person. It was the Year of Family Vacations: for the first time we took two real vacations, one to the beach and one to the woods. It was the Year of Yoga: after receiving a package of classes as a Christmas present, I went pretty much once a week all year (that's as often as I can manage to get there), and it has been a wonderful part of my life. It was the (first) Year of Being a Family of Four: very intense and exhausting, but also so exciting, interesting and fun. In fact, getting more fun all the time. And it was the the Year of the Blog: I started it in January and was surprised by what an important part of my life it became, as a way to record, memorialize and make sense of the fleeting minutia of family life. It was also often my only creative outlet during periods when I had little time for anything but the basics of survival. Thinking about the subject and tone of the blog was also helpful for thinking about my expectations and standards for myself as a parent, and what was realistic and what was a culturally-imposed phony facade. I have tried to make the blog at least a little bit honest and representative of the ups and downs of life with two small children, because if it's not true, then what's the point? Yet after a busy and stressful day, I was sometimes surprised about the topic I decided to write about-- often a small happy moment or parenting victory was what I ended up blogging, not the hours-long slog or wild tantrums. When that happened, I think it helped me focus on what was important and lasting about the day's work, not on its frustrations, and in that way the blog has helped me understand, remember, and enjoy these busy days more. At any rate, I have certainly enjoyed doing it and I plan to continue in 2010. For our country, I hope for a better year; for myself, I just hope for enough sleep and energy to be able to keep up with the many joys and opportunities of my life.
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2 comments:
Very insightful! I hope that 2010 brings lots of blog postings because even though I see the kids often I love reading your posts.
Here's to a great year!
Me too, eventhough I do not see your children often, I feel as if I know them--and I look forward to all the new postings. Love, Auntie Grace
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