A Manifesto for the New Year

I made some resolutions for the new year, but quite honestly I like this set better. Here's a snippet:

Put your faith in the two inches of humus that will build under the trees every thousand years. Listen to carrion - put your ear close, and hear the faint chattering of the songs that are to come. Expect the end of the world. Laugh. Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.

-Wendell Berry

Resolved: 2011

In the spirit of setting resolutions but not overburdening oneself with too-tightly laid plans, i've drafted a short list of resolutions for the new year. Ponder and enjoy; perhaps a few might make it onto your list as well!

• throw off the expectations you have unduly placed upon yourself and live the life you were meant to live
• be willing to take risks, make mistakes, leap into the unknown
• embrace your true self; true friends will love you for it and perhaps you'll discover new ones along the less trodden path
• cherish the moments of simple delight
• tell the people you care about that you love them
• willingly drop the daily hum drum to create something at least once a week, whether it is a new recipe, a work of art, or a written piece
• become a more avid listener, i.e. don't listen to more things, but listen more closely to a select few
• simplify: get rid of the clutter that is taking up more time or space than it is worth
• the perfect mold is your own false creation, learn to love the roughened contours
• travel, take weekend excursions, spend more time exploring culture and landscape
• remember that everything will not be resolved today but that the painting remains in progress