I suppose with the pending new year, I should be thinking about how I plan to better myself in the coming months. This is difficult for me, but not because I think I’m perfect; but more because I’m simply not sure where to start. I am aware of at least three areas of my life where significant changes should/could be made, and none of them are easy for me.

For instance, I know I should make more time for the spiritual things in my life, but that’s so BORING!

I know I should try to be more patient with the kids and not fly off the handle when I’m trying to talk to CareerMom and MLI interrupts umpteen times just to tell me that at Daycare today, he and his little friend played with the Hot Wheels cars.

And I know, I know, I know, I should take a more active role in finding time to spend alone with CareerMom outside of the house, but I hate to be the creepy old man calling up teenage girls begging them to come over to my house and babysit. Plus, date nights are expensive!

But 2009 is the year of the OX in the Chinese Calendar, which portends potentially good things for me since, astrologically, I’m a taurus. I think Bulls and Oxen are fairly similar. For instance, in the Chinese Calendar, the Ox has the following characteristics (which I think I also have):

• dependable
• innate ability to achieve great things (yeah, that’s me…Mr. Great Things Achiever!)
• process oriented
• goal oriented
• tireless workers
• detail oriented (AKA: Anal)

Sounds great right? The glue that holds the world together.

But wait, there’s more…a more darker side that is. Oxen are also:

• too stern
• not terribly social
• introverted in a crowd
• not concerned with what others think and therefore often considered haughty
• stubborn
• dogmatic
• my-way or the highway types

What a fun bunch we are. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, my actual birth year (1973) was also an “Ox” year.

So really, I’m optimistic. Despite my many proclivities towards being a surly, mean bastard, this could actually be my year!