There are plenty of things I want to accomplish in 2015, but I’m not going to make any of them into formal resolutions. I don’t even know if I’ll write any of them down, as much as I love making lists. Because the moment I make the things I want to do into Things by putting them down in print, they become impossible objects to obtain and that exist only to make me feel bad about myself if I don’t do them. (Shame on you, Things! Bad Things!)

I’m trying to not even identify the contours of these goals in my mind but instead to make out whatever eensy-weensy step I need to take next so that I can eventually realize the big picture. So I want to learn to play the guitar? I’ll try not to imagine myself jamming like a pro but remember that the next thing I need to do is just pick up my guitar and maybe practice some chords for five minutes. In fact, and I swear I’m not making this up, I was so overwhelmed by the thought of giving myself my first guitar lesson that I decided the first lesson would consist of me asking my husband where in our house my guitar was (because we had recently moved, and have yet to sort everything out). So I asked, and he told me (because I knew he would know). End of first lesson. How’s that for setting the bar low?

As silly as I felt deciding that establishing the location of my guitar was good enough for my first lesson, I have come to believe that if such minuscule steps are what it takes to accomplish my goals, so be it. I will break those suckers down into subatomic particles if that’s what I have to do. I am not afraid to get down and dirty with all the Things!

I wish everyone extreme smallness in the new year. May we think tiny so we can keep moving forward. Unless you’re capable of taking giant leaps, in which case you should totally go for it. Just stop every once in a while and turn around and wave to us slowpokes, okay?