First of all, happiest of birthdays to two wonderful, sparkly, silver-haired pals who have always known how to make ordinary life feel like a party. Your friendship is a gift, and the pandemic has brought out the special magic in you. Cheers.

Even though it’s December 4, and we’ve still got several weeks left in 2021, I’m going to go ahead and tell you my new year’s resolution: More sparkly friends; fewer assholes.

Simple enough, right? Does take a bit of discipline, though. I know, because it’s not the first time I’ve made that particular resolution (though apparently I wasn’t 100% successful last go-round, since I’m making the same resolution again).

Anyway,

In the pages of this countdown journal, you’ll find a few prompts that might help, if “more sparkle, less asshole” is also in the realm of your new year’s resolution thinking.

What else will you find? Very simple suggestions to center yourself during a stressful, busy time of the year. Each day (page) won’t take you more than 5 minutes, if that. I promise.

Why are they so very, very short?

Well, once upon a time, a very long time ago (back in the mid 1990s) I knew a guy who had run track for a D1 school, gotten injured, and had to claw his way back to running. How did he do that? A simple commitment to doing one thing (short exercise) every day, even if that “one thing” was walking from the front door to the mailbox and back, when his legs couldn’t manage more than that.

One tiny thing, every single day.

In that spirit, here (below) is the full journal, for you to download and print, or not, as you see fit.

And since you’ve made it this far, I’ll offer an expanded perspective on today’s work (item #4). If you’re anything like me (and if you weren’t even a tiny bit like me, you wouldn’t be reading here, would you?), then your head is likely full of thoughts about what you need to do and get done today. It’s Saturday, so you’re head, like mine, is probably full of twice the usual to-do list.

Stop. Focus. What’s the MOST IMPORTANT thing, RIGHT NOW, at this very minute?

It might be refilling your coffee cup or brushing your teeth. Maybe it’s changing out of pajamas and into real clothes. Don’t over-complicate this one.

What’s the most important thing, right this very minute?

Name it, then do it. Then move on with the rest of your day.

Hey, I might see you again tomorrow. It might happen. I might actually post a tip a day, along with a bit of rambling narrative, just for the hell of it.

Stay tuned.

P.S. If you were following along with the November fiction writing project and now worry that you won’t ever know WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, well don’t you worry. I’m going to post intermittent (and longer) posts here and there when I get chunks written. I’m going to. I am.