June is almost over, which means we are halfway through 2018. If you are the sort of person who makes New Year’s resolutions, this might be a good time to take out that list and see how you’re doing. You can then give yourself a high five or shake your head in dismay. (I’m doing the latter.)
But there’s good news. There’s nothing magical about the new year. For those of us who work in education, each semester is a chance to start anew. And since the summer solstice was only four days ago, why not make some solstice goals?
First, take a look at those New Year’s resolutions. Maybe some of them are irrelevant now. Maybe you made some because it sounded like the appropriate thing to do: lose weight, save money, or learn French. But maybe you’re actually not unhappy with your love handles. Yes, you need to save money, but this happened to be the year when your car, refrigerator, and air conditioner all chose to break down. And maybe you’ve had French on your resolution list for the past ten years because a college boyfriend once said it was a romantic language. You actually hate French.
Solstice goals don’t come with the pressure of January 1st. They can be much more realistic. Strike out the resolutions that don’t make sense. Take a long look at the ones you keep and revise to make them more realistic. Add a couple of new ones. (If there’s not one that’s just plain fun, add it as well!)
Then simply start again.