New Year, New Resolutions

Whew! We made it! We actually survived the first decade of the 21st century. I know it was touch-and-go there for awhile, what with Y2K fears, terrorist attacks, war, natural disasters, and economic meltdown. I also know there are many Left Behind fans who are quite disappointed that those Armageddon-esque times did not quite lead to the prophesied 'End of Days', despite their exhaustive efforts to bring it to pass. To them, I say...Have faith, there's always 2012! To everyone else...Best wishes, and I hope you benefit from the idealistic promise of a fresh start in 2010.

Of course, that idealistic promise from the Baby New Year comes with strings attached, in the form of idealistic promises (or resolutions) we feel compelled to make to ourselves. For your viewing pleasure, then, I offer up my own New Year's resolutions for 2010--in no particular order.

• Make better nutritional choices for my family.
• In 2009, I went back to work full-time and really dropped the ball on this one, opting for quick, easy & convenient, over healthy. As a result, we all have started to resemble the Pilsbury Dough Boy. Not good!! From here on out, I go back to preparing meals ahead of time and freezing them for later use. That way, I avoid the pitfall of...it's 6:00 and I'm tired...let's just order pizza.
• Engage in more physical activities.
• Another consequence of going back to work has been the physical and emotional exhaustion I feel at the end of the day. Now, rationally, I know that the more exercise one gets, the more energy one has, and the less tired one will feel. However, getting my emotional motivator in sync with my rational determinator has been a challenge. One way I am trying to help with this is by signing my husband and myself up to run a 5k at the end of January. In the past, I was always something of an athlete, so nothing says 'Get off the damn couch and mooove!!' (to me, anyway) like the threat of being publicly humiliated by failing to complete a sporting event that other athletes have termed a 'Fun Run'.
• Set aside at least an hour each day to write.
• Writing could be considered a passion of mine. There's just something about putting thoughts into words and words into text that borders on the spiritual (for lack of a better term). I love the cathartic nature of the diary (or blog), the ability to escape into the fictional world of a children's story or novel, and the freedom that poetry affords. In the past year, I have had a difficult time finding the time to do much writing at all. For 2010, I've decided I'm just going to have to make it, and make it a priority.
• Make the most of every opportunity to help others.
• Ok, I know this sounds like something a tiara-coveting beauty queen might say before a panel of male judges...but I am a firm believer  that charity might start at home, but should not end there. This resolution is a permanent member of my list and has been for as long as I've been making lists. Why? Because it's quite possible that nobody else will ever recognize the effort I put forth, but my conscience would definitely notice the effort I failed to put forth.

Well, those are my "official" New Year's Day resolutions. No doubt more will be added as the year progresses. If you'd like to share yours, I'd love to hear them.

Quote of the Day:


"When I do a good deed, I do so not with an eye toward gaining God's favor; I do it because if I did not, I could not look at myself in the mirror. A moral deed is by definition its own reward. David Hume, a believer, made this point in a very poignant way, when he wrote that the only way to show true respect for God is to act morally while ignoring God's existence."


--Slavoj Zizek