It’s a favorite week of the year. I’m a teacher, so I’m lucky enough to have this week off work. Memes are out and about on social media about this week.

The one above makes me laugh, but it’s only partially true for me. Any breaks between semesters I lose track of the days. You know how days often have a feel and if a day feels like a Thursday but it’s actually a Wednesday, it’s infuriating. Without the regular, daily routine, the days lose meaning. They don’t feel like anything. How did days feel before calendars were invented? Before the invention of the work week?

I’ve loved this week (what Austin Kleon calls Dead Week) because typically it lets me be exactly who I am–an author and artist. I usually get to focus on exactly what I want with no other obligations demanding my time. To be clear, this has been true for only a few recent years because for a long time, I had a child in the house.

Now my father lives with us and that delightful alone time is once again gone. Such is being part of life.

But this week remains a liminal time. Even if you’re working or otherwise meeting the needs of others, it is the weird last week of the year (by our western calendar anyway). Top Something-or-Other-the-Year lists abound. News sites remember the famous we’ve lost. (I feel bad for those unfortunate to die this week. They don’t make it on the already published lists. It kind of feels like adding insult to injury.) And plenty of folks try to help us be better in the New Year. It’s nearly impossible not to reflect on the old and anticipate the new. (You might do the same around your birthday, but this for the New Year, everyone is doing it. Or trying not to.)

How do you feel about end-of-the-year lists? What about those New Year resolutions? Resolutions are easy to mock, of course. It’s easy to laugh at the gyms filled with people the first week of January. Most of them will give up on those memberships before the first month gets into the double digits. What resolutions have you ever made in your life that you stuck to? What made the difference?

I used to make silly resolutions (eat more ice cream, avoid Sylvester Stallone films), and then I didn’t make any beyond keep writing. But I don’t think they are always a waste of time. They can be great if you ask yourself the right questions. And while I’m all for not dwelling in the past (define as works for you), I am for reflection, and this time is as good as any.

What are saying goodbye to this year? What do you hope for the year to come?