Happy New Year

It's amazing how $1.29 can buy sanity. For those of you who know me well, I am sure you are thinking I am about to mention a trip to Starbucks since I often equate sanity with coffee. But after driving 2,639 miles round trip for our holiday vacation, my two young children started to lose it in the back seat of our SUV. We only had 50 miles remaining in our journey when bickering erupted, shattering the peaceful mood in our car.

"She hit me!" Rang through the car's cabin repeatedly.

Finally, when all patience seemed to have gone out the window, we stopped at a 7-11, desperately searching for an intervention. Suddenly, my six year old spots one of her favorite snacks: Cheetos Puffs. To me, they taste like a cheesy piece of Styrofoam, and bear little or no nutritional value. But in that moment, they appeared like an oasis in the desert, so I, the wandering nomad, took them to the register. I handed my dollar with some change to the clerk and returned to the car to enjoy a soft chorus of crunch, crunch, crunch rising up from the back seat. Peace was restored and the last 50 miles of our trip seemed much more pleasant.

I never knew Cheetos could be so priceless.

"Happy New Year," I thought to myself. Boy, are we off to an interesting start. So much for New Year's Resolutions. In reality, my immediate resolutions involve empty suitcases, a clean house, and normal, post-vacation activity. But in light of the grander scheme, let's talk about New Year's Resolutions. Let's talk about goals. Better yet, let's talk about dreams. Remember in 2010 that a dream without action is just a dream. But a dream with action is a plan. So dream big and let your actions follow!