Happy New Year. This time of year never feels like a personal renewal for me. That comes in the fall when the summer dies away and with it, the leaves on the trees. The coming of the school year has long marked the new year for meβ¦when I was a student, when I was a teacher, and now as a parent. Itβs so hard to believe my kiddo is graduating this year and wonβt be returning to public school in the fall. So in the dead of winter as the calendar insists upon rolling forward, I try to be grateful instead of force goals upon myself. I try not to set unreasonable expectations. I am kind to myself. Gentle. And I hope you will be kind to yourself, too. Happy New Year.