I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions. Not anymore, anyway.

Don’t get me wrong — I used to jump headlong into the idea of a fresh start. Who doesn’t love the promise of a clean slate, a brand-new page waiting to be filled?

But over time, I started to notice a pattern in my own wish-making. Like many people, one of my resolutions was always the same: I want to be more organized. Somewhere along the way, I’d convinced myself that organized equaled successful.

Here’s the problem: I have ADHD, and organization is not in my wheelhouse. Nor will it ever be. That’s not a character flaw — it’s brain chemistry. What I do have is unbridled creativity that springs from a well that never seems to run dry.

Trying to force my brain into neat, predictable patterns feels like a fool’s errand at best — and a cudgel aimed directly at the creative magic that actually pays my bills at worst.

Because here’s the thing: creativity is messy.

It doesn’t conform to rules or bind itself to expectations. By its very nature, it’s untamed. A little feral. And when allowed to run free — oh, it’s beautiful.

Like a mythical unicorn with glittery hooves wearing a tiara.

So no, I will not be taming the beast inside me.

If that means I have to suffer through the daily inconvenience of lost keys, misplaced glasses, and the inexplicable moment when I nearly put the milk in the pantry, so be it. In exchange, I get stories that spill out of my head and into the hands of readers who enjoy them.

I get a brain so crammed with fantastical nonsense it would take lifetimes to empty.

That feels like a reasonable trade.

No New Year’s resolutions for me — just the same awesome chaos I happily embrace on the daily.

But if resolutions are your jam, I hope you picked something that energizes your spirit and gives you a goal to chase because who doesn’t love the thrill of a challenge to overcome.

Case in point: Sacred Secrets is out this month. Consider it proof that chaos, when properly channeled, can be a wild, page-turning ride.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a new book to write and keys to find.

Kim Van Meter is a former full-time reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Escalon Times and The Riverbank News; she continues to provide a monthly column. She can be reached at kvanmeter@oakdaleleader.com.