Christmas is over and it’s time for me to deal with my annual will power outage. We still have to get through New Year’s, but except for blackeyed peas, it’s a non-fattening holiday. It’s no wonder most of my resolutions for the new year pertain to eating, or rather not eating, and losing weight accrued between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I have learned, however, to be realistic in making these resolutions, lest I stack up a pile of failures before the year even gets off the ground. Take it slow, take it easy, open one eye, a tentative toe in the water. Small victories are still posted in the win column. Here is my annual list of resolutions I think I can handle.
I will…
- …not buy bigger clothes, especially underwear. Being uncomfortable is great motivation to lose weight.
- …not wear baggy clothes, even if the tight ones make me look like the Michelin Man’s girlfriend.
- …reacquaint myself with the wonders of kale. Temporarily banished from my kitchen for the holidays, Big K is back in town.
- …show people at least as much patience as I show my dogs.
- …call at least one friend per week to catch up, and not just monitor their lives voyeuristically on FaceBook.
- …dust something every day.
- …work to become a better writer by writing more and better.
- …remember to take my reusable bags into the grocery store with me every time.
- …check the care label in clothes before I buy them, and put back anything “dry clean only” or “hand wash, dry flat.”
- …stop rationalizing why I need to buy a new outfit, eat a doughnut, or watch one more episode of an NCIS marathon.
Some people may think I’ve lowered the bar a bit too much, but I say, “Baby steps, people!” If these resolutions work out this year, I’ll consider upping the ante next year, and the next, and the next. With any luck at all, I’ll pass on before I have to do anything too strenuous, like climbing Mt. Everest or walking the entire Houston Galleria.
Feel free to use my resolutions or come up with your own. Be realistic, circumspect, and flexible. And by all means, let me know if you come up with some I can use next year.
Janet, One of the resolutions at our house is that whenever anything new comes in, something must go. This applies to clothes, furniture, etc. It does not apply to books and fabric. I’m working on that! 🙂
Gee! We don’t even manage that with dogs. They just keep piling up. Maybe I should give it a try.
I was re-reading some of your posts and I just wanted to let you know that i’m trying out number four and nine!
Let me know how that works out! I’m still working on them.