Thoughts at the Beginning of a New Year

As a teacher, I find it hard to accept that the new year begins in January. It's still winter and cold and snowy (at least in my part of the world). For me, the new year begins in September, with the start of the new school year. This actually caused some confusion once with the elders at the church. I said, late one fall, that we might need to start a new Sunday School class "next year". They thought I wanted to start it in January. I wondered why they thought I would want to change things part way through the year. Really, they should understand that "next year" in a Sunday School context is the next school year.

I don't have any New Year's resolutions this year. They always seem so pointless to me: this year I'm going to change everything and be wonderful and do everything perfectly! No I'm not. I'm going to be the same person I already am. Of course I'll change; we all do, and usually it's good. I'm just not going to set up some unrealistic expectations and then feel guilty when I don't live up to them.

On that note: I'm also not doing a "read through the Bible in a year" plan. I find it very stressful and either I rush some days or I get behind and then read all of Revelation in the last three days of the year just so I finished on time. This year I found a "read through the Bible in 3 years" plan. It works for me. Each day you're supposed to read 1 chapter (and on occasion 2 short chapters). Now I just follow the reading plan (it alternates between Old and New Testaments), and read how ever many chapters I want to that day, taking time to think about what I'm reading rather than just reading to get it done for the day. If I read more than one chapter (and I've been doing 2 most days so far, but it's only the 6th), that's fine. If I have a busy day and don't read (by which I mean "Tuesdays" when I work 9-5, and have Bible Study in the evening, and often don't get home until 11), it's not the end of the world. I'm also doing my reading in the evenings instead of mornings. I don't like to feel rushed in the mornings, and I need something to focus my thoughts in the evenings rather than spending all evening on the computer.

I do have a goal for 2015: the 2015 Reading Challenge. It looks like a fun way to decide what to read and maybe try something new. I've already finished one book (The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde) and I've started 3 others. I'll see how it goes.

I'd also like to write more this year. No promises there, though!