wishful thinking 2012

For me the prospect of committing to New Years resolutions is a hopelessly self-defeating and futile effort so instead of making New Year’s resolutions, I plan to engage in wishful thinking again this year.

This effectively places the responsibility for success or failure in someone else’s capable hands. Above all, I wish my novel would publish to rave reviews. I wish that one of my essays or stories would win recognition. I wish that the structure for my next book would fall into place for me...anything to interrupt the cycle of hard-earned rejection.

This has a more optimistic ring to it than forging resolutions which smacks of self-discipline, grim determination, and then bitter self-reproach when you mess up. For example, I could promise to journal first thing every day this year…but what if I have to wander outside because the sunrise is too heart-achingly beautiful to miss? What then?

I could resolve to get to the gym every day in order to lose a couple of pounds but what will I do if my muse stops by or the boys in the basement start raising a ruckus. I can't just ignore them.

Or I could resolve to write one thousand words every day…but what if my dog wants to go out for a walk at the lake? How can I say no to her?

Resolutions are sometimes simply destined to fail. 

Optimism, on the other hand, is an empowering force and hope is a saving grace. There is no limit to what you can wish for. Last week I wished for snow. Sure enough, it turned cold and the first snow of the season swept through. So I know it works.

Wishful thinking is an act of the imagination, an acknowledgement of fantasy, of faith, of hope. It is a meditation on possibility, the defeat of despair, the embodiment of optimism. It is childlike and enduring...the gateway to creativity, to our vision, to the soul.

What are you thinking wishfully about for 2012?

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“Anything is possible if you wish hard enough.”

--Peter Pan--

c/o Sir James Matthew Barrie

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In my next post, I may offer a few excerpts from some of my favorite writers. Happy Hopeful New Year to all!

jan