As I climbed out of the crater, the calendar said it was the end of the year. But there are other calendars. Nan told me that her people live by three of them.

“The stars tell us what to do,” she said. “The moon tells us when to do these things, and the sun gives us the light to do.”

~ from Lassoing the Sun, by Mark Woods

Last March as we headed into quarantine, my friends canceled our plans to celebrate one friend’s milestone birthday, vowing to “celebrate soon.” Tomorrow is his next birthday. We still haven’t celebrated last year.

In January, I generally set annual goals, but in 2021… seriously? “Better than last year,” seemed sufficient.

The quote from Lassoing the Sun got me thinking about the “solar year.” Not “January 1 to December 31,” but “From THIS day (pick any day) to the same day 365 days and a few hours later” — the time it takes our planet to circle the sun.

(My apologies to readers on other planets; feel free to list your solar year days and hours in the comment section.)

“How will I be different a year from now?”

Let’s find out! Instead of focusing on goals and the usual calendar, I will focus on my habits and a year of my own choosing, from Pi Day to Pi Day.

I’m calling it “Year O.” (More details later.) Three areas of focus: Parks, Projects, and Pies.

Now, what would a symbolic Pi Day be without some symbolic pie (Lemon Cream, to represent the earth rotating around the sun) to mark the launch?

Let’s countdown together. “10, 9, 8…”