New Year's Resolutions

Another year is wrapping up, and with it comes the obligatory reflections of 12 months of memories. I hope yours has been one of progress and prosperity overall. Mine certainly has. Constitutionally, my height is the same, as is my weight. My chosen profession remains intact, though I'm now perhaps a bit more qualified. My love for life, for those in my life, and especially for the one I walk through life with...well, these are all in fine standing. I have new a place I call home, freshly furnished complete with (often) smiling bride-to-be. And of her, she accepted my proposal after inspiring a 2600 mile trek to do so. There has been family, with its conflict and its unity, with its things unsaid and successful cures of ravaging disease. And there has been international tragedy, bringing out the best of some and the worst of others. And there have been all of you, largely growing up and growing apart, for better and for worse.

I'm not a big fan of doing the expected, and this is normally true of New Year's resolutions. I don't normally need to quit smoking, drop 5 pounds, or exercise/learn more. That being said, I'm in the mood to hammer out a few.

1. Lose the single status
-I hear there are benefits that extend beyond those related to tax break, and I'm sure they will be wonderful. There are some truly liberating and exciting things about living a single life, but for the most part, I feel I've experienced them to my content, and the time came to grow up and have something more mature. Fortunately for me, it seems to have worked out. I know some of you reading this had a relationship you valued come to an end this year, and I'm sure you're getting enough advice from everyone else right now. I'm sorry for your loss, and for the pain its caused you, regardless of if its for the best or not in the long road.

2. Exercise more
-Egad, I never thought I'd need to remind myself to do the thing I most enjoy, but circumstances prevail, and I find myself in the worst shape of my life. All this other bullshit isn't going to change, so I'd better.

3. Spend more time with the boys
-Each year brings with it less time with the guys, and also a larger proportion of that time is used to go out drinking. Odds are, in 18 months I'll be somewhere else, and for that matter somewhere very far away. Sure, college is over forever. That time is done. I'm not the same and neither are they, but they're my best friends and I'm making a personal choice to leave it all behind in the pursuit of some climate fantasy that I've built up in my mind as being the road to a better life (when really, my life is pretty damn good as it is). If I don't take better advantage of the time we have left as young, relatively close, relatively free individuals, I'll surely regret it. And avoiding regrets is almost always a good thing.

4. Use the spoken word better
-For as easy as it is for me to write out whatever I'm thinking and have it come across well, my spoken word is far too often skeptical, sarcastic, or unadulterated. For the most part, people know me as a genuine person, but I still find myself spewing out the same old junk per reflex. This is gonna be a hard one to change, but the defensive self-conscious adolescent routine has gotten old, even for me. But if someone's an idiot, I'll still call them an idiot. Being truthful with reckless abandonment is something I kind of like. So give me a break with this one...it's going to be a work in progress.

5. Dance like I'll never get hurt...or is it like no one is watching? Shit.
-I guess I'll just keep this list to four.

Happy New Year to all. Be safe, have a DD, and do something nice for someone who deserves it.


jerm