A mother. A daughter. A topic.
I don’t make Resolutions anymore.
I used to. I used to make them in earnest and work really hard at following through on them, but I always peetered out after about, oh like 10 days, and would then feel like an utter failure.
So I stopped.
Because I HATE to fail.
And it was a stupid thing to do to myself.
But I DO like to set goals and accomplish things, so now I wait about 10 days until the resolution hubbub dies down and then I figure out what I want to accomplish for the foreseeable future, and set out to do those things.
But they’re NOT resolutions.
They’re just things I put on the calendar to get done (or get to do).
I’m ALL ABOUT putting things on the calendar.
I’ve come to understand that unless I make a date (plan, commitment, pledge – whatever you want to call it) to do something, the days and weeks and months will pass by aimlessly, and I’ll find that I forgot (avoided, procrastinated) to do whatever I thought I wanted to do.
So I get it on the calendar.
Somehow, if it’s on the calendar, I feel like I have to follow through with it.
Not on the calendar…I don’t go. But if I put it on the calendar that I’m going to the gym on Tuesday and Thursday of this week…at 9:00 a.m., then I do it.
“Go camping”
When for God’s sake? On July 14th – cool…we’re goin camping!!!
“Lose 10 pounds”
Really? By when?…by March 12th – cool…I have 10 weeks to do it, and I swear I can lose that damned 10 pounds (even though I might spend the next 10 weeks gaining it right back).
I guess I’m just organized (anal compulsive).
Or…I have severe memory loss and can’t remember what I want to do unless it’s written down for me in an organized manner…on a daily basis.
So, even though it’s not past the 10 day mark yet…and resolutions are still hot in the air, I have a few things on the calendar for the month.
- Go to the gym (Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays @ 9:30) for the next 4 weeks.
- Lose that damn 5 pounds I just put on over the last 4 weeks (going to the gym 3 days a week should get that done!).
- Resume my dance lessons with Matthew on Tuesday nights.
Whew.
I feel like I’m getting stuff done already!
And since it’s on the calendar (I really put it all on the calendar as I was writing this)…then I know I’ll follow through.
No, because resolutions suck.
Any resolutions I’ve ever made have failed. Do I want to work out and lose weight? Hell yes. Does me resolving to do so actually lead to a lower resting heart rate and baggier clothes? Nope.
Any January 1st that I’ve made a resolution, I’ve felt like a failure by March February the following Thursday.
The closest I’ve ever come to actually following through on a resolution was last year. I wanted to read 50 books. I got to 47. Even though I read a lot, and came very close to my goal, I still felt like a failure.
Since I’ve never actually followed through on my resolutions, I can only assume that I’m doing it wrong. So this year, I’m making resolutions that I know I’ll keep and do a damn fine job at:
- I will pet the dogs.
- I will wear my seat belt.
- I will brush my teeth.
- I will brush my hair.
- I will drink water on a regular basis.
- I will eat as many pomegranates as humanly possible.
- I will take my contacts out before bed.
- I will take naps.
- I will wear pajama pants on my days off.
- I will eat some chocolate.
- I will try really hard not to sneeze or cough on anyone, but I make no guarantees.
- I will actually put the new roll of toilet paper on the holder instead of just setting it next to the holder. Wait… I don’t think I can commit to that.
I’ve already accomplished all most some of these! Hell, I’ve already accomplished a lot of them today! Go me.
(Note that I’m not putting any qualifiers on these. If I fall asleep in my contacts one night, I will not consider the year a failure. I figure this way, there’s no way that 2011 can’t be a success.)
Of course, I’m guessing the year will consist of more accomplishments than just the above (at least I hope so), but I’ll just wait and see (and be excited) when that happens.
So far I’ve been having the most wonderful holiday.
And normally I’d want to share it all with you.
But…
My amazing daughter has been working hard all week long (while sick), and I’m now in Florida spending time with Matthew’s family (and I think I’m getting sick). So it seemed like a good week to blow off take a break from writing our weekly blog.
Hope you understand…and we’ll see you again next week (which is technically next year!)
I’m sick. I got Mom sick. I just realized that I ordered the wrong season of True Blood from Netflix.
I’m going back to bed.
Merry Christmas.
(PS: Mom was worried about skipping a post this week but I told her to take another shot of Nyquil and get over it.)
(PPS: She told me to take a shot of whiskey. Motherly advice at it’s finest.)
I love so many things about December.
Not just because of the holidays, or the fact that I have a birthday in the month…but mostly because:
- It’s the end of the year and I can clean out my files to get myself ready for the next year (how lame am I?).
- I can finally wear boots with EVERYTHING and it works.
- It’s when I start cooking big pots of soups, stews and chili’s again, which can feed me (and 6-7 others) for about 4 days with no complaints.
- I can walk down any street and see sparkly lights Everywhere.
- I get to put all of my stupid old nicknacks away and put out a totally new bunch of stupid nicknacks (called decorations in December) all around the house.
- I get to drink buckets of that incredible creamy yellow drink – Egg Nog.
- I get to drink lots of Rum…in my Egg Nog (OK, I drink it the other 11 months as well, but not in creamy yellow drinks).
- I can eat a handful of sugar cookies decorated in colored icing and covered with sprinkles and silver coated chocolate balls…and it doesn’t count as carbs (for the whole damn month).
- I finally get to use up that damn red & gold wrapping paper I got in bulk at Cosco 3 years ago (which I buy again every 3 years).
- I get to buy way too much crap for my kids and I don’t feel like I’m spoiling them.
- I get to go to a great movie on my birthday, because there are always great movies out for the holidays (but my mom told me they were actually releasing great movies just for my birthday).
- I get to see my kids get all giddy and silly (still) with all the Xmas traditions we’ve been doing for years (while creating new ones as we go).
- I get to dote on my family all month long.
AND…
- I get to kiss my man at the very minute the month turns into a brand new year.
The way it feels. I like the early nightfall and the Christmas lights downtown. I like picking out gifts for the people I love. I like the cookies and chili and logs of cheese. I like sitting with my family and laughing my ass off.
I like it when the snow falls.
Except it’s NOT FREAKING SNOWING THIS YEAR. We had a light dusting last Friday, but NOTHING ELSE.
And if it’s not snowing, then I have a hard time getting in the Holiday Spirit.
There’s also another reason: I recently started working in RETAIL, and let me tell you, nothing sucks the Holiday Spirit out of you faster than getting yelled at for things you have no control over.
So, between the ridiculous warm, snowless weather, and long hours at a customer service desk, this December has been a little bit… lacking.
But it DID snow a little bit on Friday. And suddenly, I was excited.
I wanted it to be Christmas morning.
I wanted to wear new pajamas and sit on the floor in front of my mom’s fire place drinking hot cocoa and smelling french toast in the oven.
(Oh, Mom: I’m gonna need some new pajamas, the fire place on, hot cocoa and french toast next week.)
(Fair warning.)
The snow made me all anxious and jittery and feel like a little kid again.
So I took my tiny little fake tree out of it’s cardboard tube and covered it with tiny little ornaments.
I got excited to wrap the presents and put them next to the tiny little tree. (<— I still haven’t done this. My drive to procrastinate eclipses my excitement when busy work is involved.)
I wanted a god damn candy cane.
And that’s? What I love about December.