I stopped doing New Years Resolutions years ago - got tired of being disappointed - therefore, I had no intention of involving myself in the ritual this year. Piper ruined everything! She came to me a few days ago, "Mom, you're doing your resolutions today right?" "Uh, no. Actually I'm not." She looked at me with that face, the one that expresses disbelief that she could be MY child. That's alright, I learned to deal with THAT face years ago. However, it didn't end there. "Well, WE are doing them this year," she declared then went on, "and we're doing them together. We'll make charts and post them on the bulletin board and everything. We can help each other." Damn. No, DOUBLE Damn. So, in the spirit of love and support for my daughter I have been sucked into this uncomfortable ritual like slow slurping quicksand – already I feel the oxygen being distinguished!
In the spirit of procrastinating as long as possible, I looked up the definition of ‘resolution’ and its root word ‘resolve’. I was hoping I'd find out I'd been mislead about it's meaning all these years. Ultimately I was looking for a 'loophole', a way out. Anything that would make this process of analyzing and commitment less painful. According to “Webster” and Wikipedia, “resolution” still means to make a commitment to the reform of an ineffective or limiting habit. Damn!
My efforts weren’t totally wasted though. I learned a ‘GOAL’ is different than a resolution. One can set a GOAL, and work to achieve it without ever having to take a look at their shortcomings. Not quite the out I was looking for, but I’ll take it. It’s not that I feel I don’t need improvement and or refinement, I do. It’s just that I know I’m always going to fall short of perfect. I’m at an age, and stage, in my life where accomplishment is more important to me than analysis. Therefore - I will set goals and I will earnestly work to attain them. I will do all that I can to set myself up to succeed. I will make my list of things I want to accomplish this year. I will break things down into doable chunks and my list will go up on the bulletin board next to Piper’s. We even bought sparkly little stickers to tick off our successes.
Already I face my first formidable challenge of 2012 - I have plantar fasciatis and NO CAR. If you don't know what plantar fasciatis is, it's a condition that effects the bottom of your foot (or feet) with intense pain and inflammation - comes from overuse and increased weight. Can't do anything about the overuse part, but guess what one of my New Years Goals has to be? Treatment is to stretch and stay off the foot as much as possible - riiiiigght. So I start my year with a gimpy gait and a twitch in my eye.
So - here's to 2012! May it be prosperous, filled with wonderful memories and love! And may the Mayan calendar be off by a few hundred years - I'd like to see 2013!!
I found the following on a New Years postcard dated 1915. Thought it sounded pretty good.
A Resolve For Every Morning of the New Year:
I will this day, try to live a simple, sincere and serene life.
Repel promptly every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity and self-seeking.
Cultivate cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity and the habit of holy silence.
Exercise economy in expenditure, carefulness in conversation, diligence in appointed services, fidelity to trust and a
child-like trust in God.
(source – from “Calendar” by Bishop John H. Vincent)
In the spirit of procrastinating as long as possible, I looked up the definition of ‘resolution’ and its root word ‘resolve’. I was hoping I'd find out I'd been mislead about it's meaning all these years. Ultimately I was looking for a 'loophole', a way out. Anything that would make this process of analyzing and commitment less painful. According to “Webster” and Wikipedia, “resolution” still means to make a commitment to the reform of an ineffective or limiting habit. Damn!
My efforts weren’t totally wasted though. I learned a ‘GOAL’ is different than a resolution. One can set a GOAL, and work to achieve it without ever having to take a look at their shortcomings. Not quite the out I was looking for, but I’ll take it. It’s not that I feel I don’t need improvement and or refinement, I do. It’s just that I know I’m always going to fall short of perfect. I’m at an age, and stage, in my life where accomplishment is more important to me than analysis. Therefore - I will set goals and I will earnestly work to attain them. I will do all that I can to set myself up to succeed. I will make my list of things I want to accomplish this year. I will break things down into doable chunks and my list will go up on the bulletin board next to Piper’s. We even bought sparkly little stickers to tick off our successes.
Already I face my first formidable challenge of 2012 - I have plantar fasciatis and NO CAR. If you don't know what plantar fasciatis is, it's a condition that effects the bottom of your foot (or feet) with intense pain and inflammation - comes from overuse and increased weight. Can't do anything about the overuse part, but guess what one of my New Years Goals has to be? Treatment is to stretch and stay off the foot as much as possible - riiiiigght. So I start my year with a gimpy gait and a twitch in my eye.
So - here's to 2012! May it be prosperous, filled with wonderful memories and love! And may the Mayan calendar be off by a few hundred years - I'd like to see 2013!!
I found the following on a New Years postcard dated 1915. Thought it sounded pretty good.
A Resolve For Every Morning of the New Year:
I will this day, try to live a simple, sincere and serene life.
Repel promptly every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity and self-seeking.
Cultivate cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity and the habit of holy silence.
Exercise economy in expenditure, carefulness in conversation, diligence in appointed services, fidelity to trust and a
child-like trust in God.
(source – from “Calendar” by Bishop John H. Vincent)