Goodbye 2012. You were a year full of little joys and accomplishments, little steps and little changes. I'm ready for 2013 to be a year of both little and big. I will savor the small while embracing the large.

In a country where  'frankenfish' will soon be on the menu and GMO pork isn't far behind, there is still real food out there if you take the time to look for it and/or make it yourself. I've sourced local grass-fed beef and pastured pork, organic vegetables from my garden or the farmers market, found a local producer of milk and stopped buying anything with additives, preservatives and who knows what else. I'm reading labels and getting educated.

In a country of fiscal cliffs and political parties who can't even hold a civil conversation, I'm taking charge of our finances and our future. Self-reliant is high praise. I'm starting The Compact at midnight tonight because I need the cold shower of no spending. I'm such a consumer-focused person that cold turkey is the only way to retrain myself. The only Joneses to keep up with are in my own mind, but they're real enough to me.

In a world where aggression and recession are the words of the day, bad news feels like it is everywhere and nothing feels safe any more, there are still hot showers on cold mornings, kids who want real, full-body hugs and husbands who will act the clown to make you laugh. I'm going to concentrate on the joys in life, I'm going to 'accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative and don't mess with Mr. In-between'. And I'm going to turn off the TV and put down the smart phone. Nothing on either is more important than what's right in front of me.

I will find joy in the simple and the sublime, I will strive to be better but not perfect and I will hold myself accountable rather than giving myself a pass. I'm worth the effort.

A Happy, Healthy and Joyous New Year to you and yours!