How Does the New Year Read?

I"m not one for resolutions.  The last serious resolution I ever made (and kept, for that matter) was to stop making New Year's Resolutions.  I've kept it for many years now so I feel pretty good about  the strength of my resolve.  If I made the standard lose weight/exercise more/give up junk food resolutions I'd be feeling pretty miserable about myself so I've saved myself some real guilt over the years.  When pushed to it I'll agree to resolve not to smoke...pretty easy since I'm a non-smoker to begin with.  I'm told that's cheating but I see nothing in the New Year's Resolution Rule Book expressly forbidding easy to keep resolutions.

That said it's good to have goals and each year I strive to do more reading than the year before not just because it's good for me but because I like to read.  Since childhood I could disappear into the pages of a book and block out the entire world around me while doing so.  It's relaxing and therapeutic.  This weekend I was pleased to see Diana and Calypso doing the same.  Diana stole one of my books and Calypso had spent a gift certificate on a 400 page book which she devoured in 2 days.  That's ok, I chewed through a book and a half this weekend myself. Excuse me while I mentally burp after the brain feast.  Aaaahhh, good stuff.

For Christmas I also found some really fantastic books for my dear friend's little one, Sweet Pea.  It just reminded me how much I absolutely adore children's literature and putting great books into the hands of kids.  The topic came up with a coworker who is also a recent mid-life mom getting back into the workforce after a long absence.  I mentioned how I eventually want to be a children's librarian.  This particular coworker tends to be very quiet and reserved but she immediately perked up and started pressing me for when I'm going to get myself to school.  I was surprised by her insistence.  It made me realize though that I need to be making some plans and acting on them if I'm going to get there.

2010 seriously kicked my butt.  There was no money for me to be in classes.  There was not one shred of mental energy to put into it either due to the myriad of health issues plaguing my kids and the far reaching effect some of them have had.  There wasn't a lot of physical energy either because even though I'm not working full time, the days I do work are late and the days I don't work were spent shuttling people to doctors and therapies and trying to keep the house from falling apart and making sure there was food around here (a challenge with Isaac in the house...15 year old boys are just eating machines).

So here's 2011 and I may or may not be able to be in classes right now but I need to be figuring out a realistic plan for getting where I want to be (i.e. getting a master's degree in library science so I can be a school librarian).  I don't know what that plan is going to look like with one in college now and one going soon and a third on their heels...not to mention living in a state that is eliminating library positions left and right (truthfully, all across the country libraries are hurting in this economy so here's my PSA...if you like having free access to libraries go volunteer to shelve books or give some money to help keep them going...yep, I'm pointing at you, meanwhile 4 fingers are pointing back at me).  I can say this, I'm going to be enjoying books as  much as I can and doing what I can to get the kids in my world excited about great books too while I try to take steps toward making that my eventual employment.