Last Day of a New Life

Hey there. It’s 2020. Do you know where your resolutions are?

Yeah, that was funnier in my head.

Anyway.

A few months ago I thought I was starting a completely new phase of life. New job, new house and roommate, new hobbies. And so, as any organized and hopeful person would, I started a new notebook of to-do lists and thoughts, and I named the notebook “New Life.”

Well, a couple things went to hell, a lot of unexpected (some very positive) things happened, and I ended up staying at my job. It was not the “new life” I was expecting. But the whole process felt like a trial by fire from which I emerged as a different human than when I started, so I left the notebook name.

Two nights ago, as we were cleaning up from a delightful series of New Year’s celebrations, I told my roommate I was throwing out the remaining desserts. By way of explanation, I said, “It’s the last day of a new life.” (Which of course wasn’t what I meant to say, but I hadn’t been alone in three days and I was at least two drinks in, so cut me some slack, people.)

And I keep thinking about that accidental phrase. The last day of a new life.

Because once you’ve lived a day of a new life, then after that it is not your new life. It is your normal life. What was a new life is now just life.

So the first day of your new life is also the last day of your new life.

Is your head exploding yet? Because mine did. (Although the impressive number of people passing through my house this week may also have contributed to that.)

So. Friends. You can start a new life today. But as long as you stick with it, your new life becomes your regular, every-day, get-up and lie-down life. Today could be the start of something new, and all your tomorrows (whether you have one tomorrow or thousands) could make that new something your normal something.

I, for one, would like to stop procrastinating. This is not a resolution, I am not resolving to stop putting things off. I am starting a new life today where I procrastinate less. And tomorrow, when it comes, I will be someone who doesn’t procrastinate as much as I did before.

What about you?