Holiday decor is mostly down, kids are back in school and insurance deductibles have reset to $0. Hi, January.
It feels like the last 42 I've experienced but, in many ways, it's completely foreign. Each day, I wake up with new questions - and the Magic 8 Balls Santa brought aren't exactly the all-knowing entities I recall from my childhood.
I've never considered myself a resolution person. My thought process has always been that if I'm going to make a change, I'll do it when I'm ready and not because a square on the calendar told me to. I started toying with this idea on a random Wednesday in late October and when I took it for a test drive, it just felt right. All I did was say "YES" and, also, "NO."
A while back in this very column, I questioned what happiness meant and found that everyone has a different definition. It's elusive but achievable and it's the carrot I'll be chasing henceforth. Securing it will be prioritized above all else - and I'm closing in on that goal by saying yes more.
After a year of extreme highs and lower-than-imaginable lows, it's never been more clear that tomorrow isn't guaranteed and I'll be damned if I squander any more precious time waffling or we'll see-ing. Whether the request is having breakfast for dinner or planning a core memory-inducing vacation, an affirmative answer from me is more likely than ever before.
(Please don't mistake my approach: Not every day will be a "yes" day. If it were, my kids would be sporting Mister T haircuts, home renovations for an indoor waterslide would be underway and llamas would be grazing our backyard. I'm fun but not THAT fun.)
Though yes does spark joy, don't sleep on no! When used appropriately, it's capable of inducing a different kind of contentment. It's easy to feel like you must be everything to everyone all the time but saying no isn't an inappropriate response if it's what you need. It can taste like a swear word if you don't use it often but give no a try.
For me, if something isn't going to move my life in a positive direction, it's getting a big "No, thank you."
Happiness awaits. Find yours through yeses or nos or a marriage of the two. It's out there for you to discover in your own way. Just bundle up - it is January, after all.
- Lex Silberberg of Hinsdale is a contributing columnist. Readers can email her at [email protected].
