New Year’s Resolutions
I have never been really big on making New Year’s resolutions, which is actually kind of surprising given my affinity for making goals for myself. I think this is probably because I tend to spend New Year’s Day in some various stage of “hungover” where I can think of nothing that I would rather due less than come up with year-long goals when my current minute-long goal is to not vomit.
However, this year there seemed to be a lot of talk about resolutions or plans for the upcoming year. Actually, to be specific, there was a lot of talk about plans for the upcoming decade. I, for one, cannot think in decade lengths because I was 15 last decade! I couldn’t even drive! Next decade I will be 35! THAT’S OLD! I will probably have kids and an actual house and have everything figured out by then! No way could I come up with some sort of goal to start now and finish when I have dentures! (that was a joke!!) But, I can plan for a year. So I made some resolutions. Being me, mine tend to be very defined. For example, if I went with the typical, “Be nicer to people” plan, mine would be something more like, “Be nicer to at least 5 people per week.”
Therefore, I would like to present to you my list:
1) Read at least 1 book a week.
This resolution is a direct knock-off of one of Blake’s friends, Andrew Polk. Polk was the leader in the conversations about his plans for the next decade, listing an impressive amount of things he wanted to accomplish – including receiving his PHD, owning a business, owning a bar (different from the business), and the most impossible seeming of all – reading 2 books a week for the entire decade. Now, you might look at the first two goals on that list and fixate on those as impossible, but for those of us in the room when these goals were announced, it was the last one that really gave us trouble. TWO BOOKS A WEEK FOR TEN YEARS!? That is a LOT of books. Especially when considering the other things he wants to do (most of which aren’t listed.) However, I liked the spirit of the resolution, so I decided to copy it for my own, albeit toned down to something I think I personally could and would want to accomplish.
2) Attend yoga classes at least twice per week
My father is one of the least flexible people I have ever met. This is probably mostly due to his age, but it is a running joke between David (my brother) and I, that dad has to turn completely around in order to see something more than 45 degrees to either direction. His neck just can’t go that far! I seem to have inherited my dad’s lack of flexibility, which is only getting worse as I slowly march towards 30. Seeing as I would like to always be able to look at things next to me by moving only my neck rather than my entire body, I have decided that yoga is the path for me. My first few classes have been maybe a little embarrassing, with the teacher coming over to help me into poses, only to have me gasp with alarm, “my body doesn’t move in that direction! my body doesn’t move in that direction!” but I am determined to stick with it. I might actually try to join an actual yoga studio, where I can really be embarrassed about my limited range of motion next to people who actually know what they are doing and are willing to pay loads of money in order to do it.
3) Blog a minimum of 3 times per week
Look at me! I have been doing this one!! Like everything I do, I started off VERY dedicated with the whole blogging thing back when Blake first created this little website of mine. For a while, I had a post every day! I have no idea how I came up with things to write about, but I did! However, also like everything I do, my interest in blogging soon dissipated. I ran out of things to write about. I started knitting more. I opened an etsy store and allowed myself to become completely OBSESSED with that for a few months. I began working out like a crazy person thanks to the new scale I purchased. I did just about everything else. However, I like blogging. I never wrote before, due to the fact that I mostly find myself annoying and I have an alarmingly sensitive “pretentiousness detector”, but now that I’ve been doing it for a few months – I enjoy it!
4) Make Blake run or do some form of exercise at least 3 times per week
I understand that this resolution makes me look like some sort of domineering crazy person, and don’t you worry, I have already received my fair share of ridicule regarding this resolution of “mine.” But the thing is, Blake has diabetes. He needs a healthy heart! I am way better at sticking to arbitrarily decided goals, and therefore, if this is my goal rather than Blake’s, it is more likely to be enforced. And man am I an enforcer. I have no mercy! Therefore, into week 2, Blake has stuck with it! So if you are going to make fun of me/call me a demanding, I will bite you (no really, I will).
All right people. Those are my resolutions for 2010. I will periodically update you on their progress (especially the book one), so get ready.
HAPPY SATURDAY!
