If I'm Going To Move

Today is New Year's Day for procrastinators such as myself. Even though I'd long ago sworn off New Year's resolutions, something about the cold of IA and having started a new life in the last 12 months made me want to make changes in 2007. The only problem was, "stop procrastinating" was not on my list. So I spent the first half of the month continuing and excusing the old behavior I thought I wanted to change.

My top three (actually, my only) resolutions for this year were merely continuations of good behaviors I once exhibited:

1. Exercise regularly.
2. Quit drinking.
3. Write my novel, TWO NIGHTS IN ROME.

Considering that I used to be a certified aerobics instructor (partly for my health, partly for a childhood dream, and partly because I needed the money to make up for the child support I wasn't receiving), and alcohol didn't touch my lips for 5/6 of the years I spent in college (which only changed once I moved to NO & started working), and I started blogging pretty regularly while working on my novel until Katrina, I'd say I have every excuse in the world for why I've been off track. Or at least, that's what Mme President would say.

Many years ago I became the unofficial president of PA, Procrastinator's Anonymous. You might have heard of us if we'd ever had a meeting. I was supposed to get to writing the bylaws in 2003, but was distracted by round 3 of my off & on relationship with the SJA. Somehow, someway, in the 8 years I lived in NO, I always found a distraction, a diversion, or an excuse (or was at least presented with an obstacle) to keep me from doing what I was supposed to be doing. Here in IA, I have nothing to face but myself.

Maybe it's the cold (I never thought 25 degrees would feel nice, but it does compared to the 2 degree low I experienced last night), maybe it's the solitude, maybe it's the lack of brown faces and attention from men, or maybe it's the deer and bunny rabbits in my backyard that are symbolic of the peace I now have in my life. All I know is that I could make more excuses for why I'm not moving on with my life (physically, emotionally, & spiritually), but I also know I'd be cheating myself out of my future and negating all the difficulties I've been through to get to where I am. That, and it's too damn cold to waste movement...so if I'm going to move, it's going to be forward.