a new leaf

The Moleskine.

My all time favorite diary/notebook.  Which is no small statement!  I was a Filofaxer from the 1980's and was given my first one by my Dad's friend who was  a buyer for Neiman Marcus at the time.  I really thought I was pretty groovy!  It's still a lovely diary but it's pretty worn now and as it's one of the original numbered Filofaxes I'd be scared that it'd fall apart completely.  Being a stationery nut I'm sure one day it will be worth a fortune!  Delusional? Maybe!

Anyway the Moleskine has stepped in and filled the Filofax's shoes for the last 3 years and I can't see myself going back.

What do I love about it?  Well what's not to love about it.  It's slim (I'm envious).  It holds its shape all year (even more envious) although it's had a year of loitering in foot wells of cars, the bottom of milky nappy bags and worse I love it's soft flexible cover.  I love the layout with the diary on one side and a ruled page for notes on the other.  Just perfect!  

I'm sure I could adjust to a whizz-bang techno gizmo but I like having these neat little books lined up on the shelf and I like to be able to refer back to them.  Mostly it's the mundane tasks that fill my day, reminders of birthday's coming up, the week's menu plan.  Every now and again it hold secret words, inspirational words, memories of wonderful outings, dates marked with HUGE stars as family are scheduled to arrive from overseas and even huger ones of teardrops as their trip comes to an end.  They will hold no value or interest to anyone but me and that makes me like them all the more.

There is something hopeful, optimistic, promising, about a new diary.  Opening the new pages.  The spine still a little stiff.  The pages crisp and unmarked.

 For this coming year I have decided, as I have for the last two years, that I will not have a list of new year's resolutions that will slip by forgotten, goals that are not measurable or unrealistic.  I will hold on to a word as a guide. 

2008 - FATIH - it helped enormously.

 2009 - ORGANISATION - it worked for the most part!

2010 - DISCIPLINE. 

Although it might help if I applied it in relation to my children's behaviour, it is not my main goal.  More a desire to follow my own rules (no dirty dishes left overnight), to develop a routine (do the ironing before it explodes out of the basket, leaving me with 5 hours to do in 32C heat!), to do now rather than leave until later, leaving me feeling guilty and disorganised, such an awful vicious cycle.

To live a more orderly, self-controlled and structured existence would be much more peaceful than that constant chasing of my own tail ...

What would your word be?