Happy New Year: In a Kierkegaard Frame of Mind

Happy New Year everyone. I always look back more than I look forward at the new year. I had a great year - new baby daughter, new book, great reviews and growth in our business - I can't complain. Yet I found myself feeling a bit ornery on New Year's Eve. I was irritable, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why. By New Year's day I had settled into a funk that was, well, Kierkegaardian. What struck me about this year was that I was too busy, as usual, but that much of this business was self-created. One of my favorite quotes from Either/Or by Kierkegaard came to mind.

"What, I wonder, do these busy folks get done? Are they not to be classed with the woman who in her confusion about the house being on fire carried out the firetongs? What things of greater account, do you suppose, will they rescue from life's great conflagration?"

Kierkegaard had this wonderful irritability at all the boring busy bodies of the world. To him, the worse offense was a life not lived with passion and authenticity.

I haven't posted even a nibble on my blog since December 18. I love writing this blog, but I find I need to let life happen sometimes apart from it. I don't want to post something because I have to, but because I want to and have something significant to share. I am not a brand. I can't always stay on message. Heck, this is a barbecue blog and I'm sitting here writing about Kierkegaard. See what I mean?

A big part of why I didn't post was because my brother and his family were visiting from afar. Since we don't get to see them as often, we try to spend every minute possible with them. And we did. After nearly 10 straight days of family gatherings, Eric and I and the kids spent the last two nights at my folks in a pre-teen-like slumber party complete with rounds of Uno, Pictionary, chocolate and talking late into the night.

That's not easy to do with a 1 and a 4 year old. We had the entire Reinhardt clan spread out on a futon and make shift bed of couch cushions and a baby mattress on the floor. Youch.

I had planned to photo document our holiday meals and post pictures, but sometimes I just want to live in the moment without a part of myself thinking about how to describe that moment at a later time. As Kierkegaard wrote,

"The highest and most beautiful things in life are not to be heard about, nor read about, nor seen but, if one will, are to be lived."

My mantra for 2010? Less is More. My need to minimize some of the busy buzz of my life this year means blogging only twice a week and skipping the whole twittering thing. I never really connected with twittering anyway, so that isn't a tough one for me. Kierkegaard would both fear and tremble over twitter.

What I hope is to use that time for 1) more sleep (critical if I want to be more awake) and 2) writing the next book, be it cookbook or novel. Truth be told that since I stopped blogging for a few weeks, I started a novel, but I hate to talk about something so early in its infancy.

I'll be keeping the same headings: Barbecue 101, News, Reviews & Interviews, Food Poetry Friday and Weekend Warrior Recipes, but I'll just pick two of the four categories each week.

My other major resolution is one I may share a little later. Another one of those, "I don't want to talk about it too early, lest I jinx it" sort of things. Until then, smoke on, and may your 2010 be abundant and significant.

I know I ate a double helping of black-eyed peas last night to help bring abundance.

I'll leave you with one more quote from dear cranky Kierkegaard.

"It seems essential, in relationships and all tasks, that we concentrate only on what is most significant and important."