Everything In Its Right Place: My emo 2015 resolutions

Admit it or not, everyone thinks about starting fresh in the new year. This year, I decided to come up with mostly immaterial resolutions and accompany each with a song that best flushes out it's aim.  Of course the typical New Year's goals around diet and exercise are also floating in my head (yawn), but once these five get in check, the rest will hopefully fall into place.

5. Throw out the idea of "wasting time".

SONG: Kings Of Tomorrow - Finally (Sonny Fodera Remix)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CZlo_SEL-o]

Recently I've realized that a lot of heartache I've endured was thanks to obsessing over the idea of wasting time: I bullishly charged through something because I wanted to save a few hours in the end; I gave impatient advice to someone in hopes that it would get them to "see the light" sooner;  I had antiquated ideas about when a woman (me) should achieve certain milestones to the point it caused me serious anxiety having not achieved them "in time".  Well, guess where all of this has gotten me?  Rushed, harried, anxious, and callous.  What seems clear in learning from the last year is that everything happens when it should. Looking at my life up to now, I truly feel the universe has brought me to people and things and experiences when it was the proper time. There truly are no coincidences. In my efforts to save myself from what I apparently viewed as the worst sin of all, I've spent energy I'll never get back.  2015 will be about letting things unfold as they will.

4. Discover and enjoy old and new music every week.

SONG: Run The Jewels - Lie, Cheat, Steal

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOYA48d4Bks]

Run The Jewels' second album is one of the most exciting, fulfilling albums in recent memory and undoubtedly one of the best of 2014. It was also the best show I attended last year (Fine Line in Minneapolis in November). El-P and Killer Mike's rap energies swirl together on stage and on record like they were meant to converge. And those beats are damn near perfect. Without the heads up from my Pitchfork freak husband I would have never been introduced to the duo's project (despite being a fan of El's since 1999) because I simply wasn't checking for it -- I was too busy in 2014 listening to the new wave Pandora station (more on this later) and digging for nu-disco remixes of familiar tracks. Nostalgia is a funny thing, you know. It's all fun and games until you realize you missed greatness right in front of you, happening in real time. This year, I'll make it a point to again to open my ears to new music rather than lean on 80s pop or 90s rap favorites.

3. Have some decorum as it relates to news and personal info on social media.

SONG: Genesis - Land Of Confusion

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pkVLqSaahk]

OK, it's not like this isn't my day job: I do social media strategy for brands so why is it often so hard to know what to post personally?  Perhaps it's the immediacy of it -- you know you'll get feedback on a dime and who doesn't crave a little debate? Well, in 2015 I vow to do something on Facebook I've recommended to brands ad nauseum over the last year: Post with less frequency and more creative effort.  For me, maybe that means using my blog as a mouthpiece more than the status update; the lure of "What's on your mind?" was apparently seductive in 2014 as I usually posted at least twice a day during the workweek. What's more, at least three times this past year I've posted misinformation somehow: an old story before reading the article, incorrect information from a dubious "world news" website, or jokes as fact from a satire site (how can you even tell what's real news these days?).  Social media is how we consume news now, and that's exciting and simultaneously a big problem if we don't start holding ourselves -- and media -- to a better standard. It's not NEWS anymore, it's ...."NEWS?" with a shrug.

2. Lighten up, stop wondering "what if" and be grateful.

SONG: Beastie Boys - Gratitude[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdJ5e70Q8mw]

I can get pretty grim sometimes wondering about what awful things might happen.  I think this occurs when one feels like they have a lot to lose. In my wild 20's, I could give a shit. I couldn't even envision myself at 40 let alone desire it.  Now at 35, I'm reading about what foods to eat to have a long, healthy life, and how to improve brain function, etc. You know, boring, old people shit. This year I'm going to make a good effort at stopping taking things -- and myself -- so seriously. A wise man in my life said that the "what ifs" stop coming when you make an effort to be grateful in the present.

1. Reverse longtime patterns of needing control.

SONG: Radiohead - Everything In Its Right Place (Gigamesh Remix)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAt4xQbjofM]

All of my other resolutions lead to this one "a-ha" moment.  You miss the best things in life -- and maybe even great opportunities -- when you're too busy trying to plan everything. Think of this like clutching loose, white beach sand in your hand. If you clutch too hard, sand spills out the sides. If you cup your hand loosely, you retain more sand. I have no idea where I originally heard this or why a person would want a handful of sand, but it makes a lot of sense.

Peace out, 2014. Thanks for the lessons and the hindsight.