Friday, January 06, 2006

A Resolution I Can Keep

New Year's Resolutions are proof that hope springs eternal--foolish, blind hope that is disappointed time and again and yet comes back to the table for more.

Late on New Year's Day, my sister-in-law said to a group of us assembled around the table: "Okay, what are your resolutions everyone?"

I answered, "My resolution is to not make any resolutions this year."

It's the best resolution I've ever made. Think about the very nature of New Year's Resolutions--we spend the first few hours or days of the New Year thinking about all the ways we aren't good enough, all the changes we need to make to be worthy of this New Year. Here's a little secret, though--yeah, it's a New Year, a new day, another chance, blah, blah, blah, but I'm the same old me and odds are my energy will be better spent being the best me I can be and accepting all the ways I fall short of the goal of perfection rather than struggling to become more, better, faster, stronger.

So here I am on the 5th of January and I haven't even wavered in my resolution one teeny bit. I think I may have set some kind of record.

7 comments:

  1. Ah but you have failed already. By making a resolution not to make any resolutions, you have just made a resolution! Oh what a paradox.

    Just alter your resolution to not make any more resolutions other than not to make resolutions and you should be okay. :)

    (Can you tell I live with a teen who is good at finding the loophole?)

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  2. I was just going to say what Cary said. By making a resolution NOT to make a resolution you have failed.

    But good luck keeping the one resolution that you made. I on the other had didn't make a resolution but I would like to exercise more. Maybe I will maybe I won't we'll see.

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  3. I made several New Year's resolutions after not making any for several years. I made my own loophole.......I decided if I didn't write them down on the 1st I don't have to keep them!

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  4. Loopholes--aren't they the greatest?

    It's funny--just as I clicked publish post, I was thinking, "isn't resolving to not make a resolution, just another way of making a resolution? I mean, it's kind of like 'never say never.'" I decided if it worked for James Bond, it can work for me. :)

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  5. It's sort of like kicking off the new year with an utterly defiant failure...I like it! My brother used to say each year for Lent he was "Giving up Giving up."

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  6. Oh yes, the Lent thing is right behind the New Year's Resolutions!!! I did not make any again this year. I love yours not to make any...me too I say!

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  7. resolutions are for those who procrastinate an entire year just so they can have a new year's resolution.

    i am not one of those people.
    ; )

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