New Year's Resolutions

I don't make New Year's resolutions. Oh, sure, we all like to "start over" in the new year, take out a crisp new notebook and write down a bunch of things we're never going to do, but I've stopped fooling myself. Chances are I am not going to lose 50 lbs in the span of a year, take conversational French, learn to make spun sugar, or redecorate my house. I'm not even sure I know how to feel about goals........I mean, do they inspire and motivate or encourage failure? Instead of making resolutions that are impossible to keep or completely fantastical, how about making some you can really stick with? For example:
1. Resolve to have coffee with a friend once a week.
2. Resolve to spend a few minutes reading a favorite novel before bed each night.
3. Resolve to indulge in good food and good friends and good drink whenever the occasion calls for it - life is short!
4. Resolve to live within your means.
5. Resolve to be happy with what you've got and be happy to share with others.
Ok, so those are pretty inspirational and do-able right? But the "lose weight" one? You're only going to disappoint yourself the next time you pop a piece of chocolate into your mouth. Why not resolve to "be healthier"? That can take many forms (and takes a lot of the pressure off - hee, hee).

I just don't see the point of making promises to oneself that may or may not be kept. Talk about starting the year with high expectations and major disappointment. One year, I decided to simplify things and only resolved not to bite my nails (I was a terrible nail biter!). I made it till about January 5th and bit off all my nails one day in class while writing a piece on New Year's resolutions. Failure! Now I know that I can NOT bite my nails, but that on occasion, during times of stress, I WILL bite all my nails off and so what? I'll just start growing them again. No big deal.

I would resolve to keep my house cleaner but that would require participation on the part of five other people. And who wants that upkeep? I would resolve to work out every day but that would require absolutely no interruptions to my routine and my life revolves around interruptions. I would resolve to find the perfect job but I'm logical enough to know it probably doesn't exist (still, I keep looking!).

I think the best thing is to resolve to make no resolutions. Just embrace the New Year for what it is........which, really, is just another month at the start of a new decade in this case. So it's 2010! Remember when we all thought the world was going to implode at the stroke of midnight in the year 2000? Time marches on........we move on...........life goes on............and I resolve to just be grateful I'm still here on this earth able to make a choice to NOT make any resolutions! Who's with me?