Resolutions
I’m not very good with the whole resolution thing. It isn’t that I lack the stick-to-it bit. It’s more that I’m a little contrary.
I like to do things on my own timetable.
This can cause the occasional issue with the husband. I swear, there are times I’m certain that the man lives in a parallel universe and only crosses over into mine when he wants to encroach on my pillow. He runs on his time (slow and scattered), and I run on mine (the OCD Express). The only time we’re in complete accord is when we’re evading my older brother’s attempts to maneuver us into traveling in lock-step. What can I say? We’re the babies of our respective families, and we’re used to getting our own way.
Still, I do have a certain amount of admiration for those who resolve to change their lives for the better when the clock strikes midnight on January first, and even more respect for the few who manage to tough it out past the tenth.
Like I said before, it’s not the doing that I object to. It’s the timing. The January 1st thing is just too…rigid for me. Why do we have to start doing the things we want to do when the calendar turns over?
I wrote the first line of my first book in September. I ran my first mile on a July day and smoked my last cigarette on April 3, 2011.
Maybe I’m just a rebel, but I say do it now. Do it tomorrow. Do it on the third Friday in August. Try. Fail. Try again. Fail spectacularly. Give it one more shot. It doesn’t matter when you start. Just that you do.
My list is long and varied. A few of the highlights include writing two new novels (that’s the easy one LOL) and taking an actual vacation with my hubby (something we have never done without children). We might clash a bit in the planning process, but I’m pretty sure we’ll get it done. In our own time.
So…what’s on your to-do list this year?
Jan 03, 2013 @ 06:10:03
It occurs to me that it’s the one year and 9 month anniversary of your last cigarette. There is a birthin’ metaphor in here somewhere, but my brain is fuzzy. Congratulations!
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Jan 03, 2013 @ 14:22:30
Thanks, Keri! I won’t say I don’t still crave one every once in a while, but it’s all good. I got this.
Jan 03, 2013 @ 10:20:05
I love this! I can’t tell you how often I start something — say in September and then finish it months later. Life’s a process, not a race, wouldn’t you agree?
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Jan 03, 2013 @ 14:23:12
I totally agree, Donnell. I don’t care when I start or when I finish as long as I keep going!
Jan 03, 2013 @ 10:57:03
Since school always started in September, I always have the mentality that a “new year” starts then!
Any day is a good day to turn over a new left or start something new.
Jan 03, 2013 @ 14:24:26
I totally relate to the new school year thing. I might be a bit of a office supply freak, so I tend to crave new stuff when the kiddies start heading back to school.
Jan 03, 2013 @ 12:00:57
Hear hear!
I guess it’s the symbolism of the change. With Thanksgiving, Chanukah or Christmas, and New Year’s Eve/Day and all the attendant obligations and chores and events, we tend to toss up our hands. It’s really difficult to keep routines or good habits or discipline with all of that. Which makes it easy to pick the first of the year as a starting point. Things settle, and the year changes, something that is otherwise constant.
But you’re absolutely right. We don’t spend 12 months going “I can’t start/try/stop/do that until January 1st.” So why not ease up on the pressure?
We face a major change later this year, when our oldest goes off to college. That will affect us dynamically, financially, and logistically. So my goal for the year is just to keep adjusting as necessary.
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Jan 03, 2013 @ 13:44:11
Hi! Yup, I think resolutions must be made when they’re needed. It’s kinda like a commitment. I guess it is a commitment. Great post!
Jan 03, 2013 @ 14:26:39
Thanks, Shawna! Every change is a commitment, that’s why I think it’s important to tackle them in their due time, and not when the calendar says so.
Jan 03, 2013 @ 14:25:39
Ah, I remember that feeling, Natalie. It is a big adjustment, but as much as you miss the little buggers, there’s some satisfaction in knowing one is at least partially out of the nest.
Jan 03, 2013 @ 14:48:25
I’m with you, Margaret! Congrats on all your accomplishments!
The number one thing on my writing to-do list this year is to finish my novel. The number one thing on my general to-do list is to finish my third degree!
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Jan 03, 2013 @ 16:39:02
Great post. I tend to do stuff when I know there’s a ‘reward’ at the end. I usually start dieting in Jan because I know I’m traveling in Feb. LOL. I’m just resolved to not sweat the small stuff and get healthy for me.
Jan 03, 2013 @ 20:24:28
Margaret: Congrats on quitting!
I totally agree with your post. I like to use the beginning of the year to review what I’ve done and make plans/adjustments for the next year, but if I want to do something, I won’t wait.
My plan is to get two novels done this year. One I just started, and one that I never finished and need to re-outline to get it moving again.
And, as always, there’s some travel planned in there too. Good luck with your adults-only vacation! Hubby and I have only managed it once so far.
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