On Our Way To Crazy

Dear Brandi,

Every year after the holidays, you get all bummed out and feel like nothing fun will ever happen again. This makes sense, as December is a whirlwind of parties and gifts and spending two weeks doing nothing but shop and hang out with your friends. January feels like the beginning of… nothing. Cold, gray days and lots of working. It is MONTHS until your birthday – who will buy you presents?

But self, January is not so bad. It does feel like a fresh start. New books to read, new recipes to try, new friends to be had. Somehow, you manage to forget every year that the month of January is not an overwhelming expanse of blah.

January is a trip back to regular life. During the holidays, that sounds terrible, but once you’re back in it, you remember that you like it.

It’s also time for your semi-annual “What Am I Doing With My Life?” breakdown of sorts, in which you will search for a new job or a new house or a new SOMETHING, just to make yourself feel like you’re going somewhere, like you’re moving up. But give it time, and eventually you will remember that life is really nice just the way it is. You will be reminded of all the good things you have going, all the things that are more important to you than moving up some corporate ladder you’re not sure you want to be on in the first place.

So, self, try to remember all of these things in January 2008, when once again you’re wondering what you’re doing with your life, why do you live so far away from your family, who let you eat all those rice krispie treats at your in-laws house, how are you going to make it through all the boring days you have ahead of you. They’re not boring days. They are your life. And they can only be what you will allow them to be, so stop feeling sorry for yourself and make them good.

Also, remember to pay better attention to the after-Christmas sales.

Love,
Brandi