New Year's Resolutions

I know there is a substantial body of you folks out there who do not do the resolution thing. And I appreciate the fact that our lives are in constant need of amendment, not just in late December/early January. But I find the process useful. Maybe I just need the outside stimulus to get serious about making some changes.

The great joke is how many resolutions made on Jan 1 will be history by Jan 15. Probably most of them. But I can look back at some of the resolutions I have made and see some success. Several years ago, I made a promise to myself that I would ALWAYS smile at the grocery checker and chat pleasantly to him/her. And I would always put my grocery cart back in the cart roundup place, even if it were cold or rainy or windy. It seemed like a small thing, but it really has led me to being more considerate of those who work at the jobs that make my life so much easier than it could be. It spread to other service workers as well. It was contagious. I am glad.

I also made a resolution to try to tell the folks I loved that I loved them IN WORDS. I've been fairly successful with that one--and it was harder than I imagined. Why that should be so, I don't know. But I hope that if I love you, you've heard me say it.

I was successful at the less TV, more reading resolution. Forty-nine books this year is a testament to that. (Sorry, TSO, don't think I'll make it to 50!) Well, maybe the less than stellarly clean house is also a testament to that, but I prefer not to focus on that!

I'm still working on, and praying about, the changes that I need to make for 2005. Preliminarily, they look like this:

1. Be more regular in my prayer life. I want to do morning prayer with a friend on the days that the McKid goes to preschool. The other mornings I want to be sure I get my Magnificat in. And I'd like to add evening prayer in as well--on more than a hit or miss basis. This is a carryover from last year. Some months I was successful, others I was a hideous failure.

2. Exercise! 'Nuff said.

3. Continue the move away from TV and toward books. Not that I won't watch any TV, but I do want to watch it more as a condiment to my life, not as any sort of main course.

4. Have people over for dinner more often. I am aiming for 2x a month to start, but would eventually like to move to 1x a week. Not a fancy dinner--just family supper. I would also like to have a real dinner party at least once this year. I'm 48, and I've never had one!

5. Flylady it all year.

6. Be more organized in the performance of my volunteer activities, and quit using my volunteer status as an excuse for being late with our parish's reports to the diocese. #5 above will help with that.

7. Work on making our home a place of refuge for us and for our friends. A place of peace and contentment. A place where people feel free to stop by for a diet coke and a chat at a moment's notice.

So, that's what I'm thinking. What think you?