Skating Uphill - January 2018
“Okay, now for something really different this New Year. We are not going to make positive resolutions, we are going to make ‘not’ Resolutions! Hmmmmmm...”
– The Uphill Skater –
Well, I have finally had a thought for making those pesky and guilt producing New Year’s Resolutions work. No more sappy attempts or broken promises on January 2. I am done. In fact, am overdone. I refuse to be stuck in place any longer. In fact, I am as overdone and stuck in one place as Donald Trump’s hairdo.
You have questions about how to make 2018 a great year, and I have answers. I really mean it about the anti-resolutions. First, I am going to resolve NOT to call my mother more often, write more thank-you notes, or even lose 20 lbs. I have resolved those tasks for untold years and here I still am. So, what is the lesson with that fact? The lesson is obvious. All this silly resolving stuff has not and does not work. I recently read that 94 percent of resolutions are broken before Valentine’s Day. I can never remember who it was who said the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, but I think he/she was correct. Personally, I stand with YODA when he famously said to Luke Skywalker, “Just do. There is no try.”
Yes, I know we all must try. Without the hope of trying there is not much left to hang on to, is there? All I am saying is that we should give ourselves a chance to move forward without being locked into these same old things we have been doing and get on with what we think we might really want to do on a new basis, a new timetable, and yes, a new chance.
You may be disgusted you cannot button your jeans without lying on your back on the bed and struggling to breathe. Or, you desperately need to send a text to your sick friend, save more money, eat less ice cream, or any number of things that seem important. Even more important than any or all of these things is what you are actually going to do about it. Not try to do, but actually do.
My husband and I heard something on television the other night we found so disturbing we actually got our butts up off of the couch and found the email address of our senator and sent a message. I have only done that one other time in my whole life, but I did it when it really mattered to me. In all honesty, it turned out to be easy and what is even more surprising, I got a response. I am now on his list and I get emails from him. I am responding, too. This is new to me, and I did it because I got mad; not a bad reason, as it turned out!
Getting on with it, as it turns out, is actually good for your health, too. It is good for your blood pressure and stress levels. I am sure you can see why. You have done the right thing, eaten the right thing, or said the right thing. You are no longer sitting there stewing; you have implemented action—something real—which leads to solutions.
This sounds a bit like I am saying that it is good, or maybe I should say better, for your health and general well-being to do short term, anger related, unplanned and random good things. But no, long term planning works, too, and in fact, can be your friend. It is that cooling-off period for that idea that seemed so good late last night or after a couple of drinks. It can also grow like a plant or hibernate like a bulb. I planted over 200 bulbs in my yard last fall, and I can’t wait until spring to see the beauty of my work. I have also ordered a greenhouse. I saw it in a magazine and ordered it on a whim. I am so excited for it to arrive even though I am looking out at snow today. Finally, my other long-term goal was to get the kit from the ancestry place. When it comes, I am going to spit in the tube and see what my genes say who I am. Very exciting, yes?
This year is going to be full of wonderful surprises. It is also going to be full of terrible disasters. Which one is your year? Happy New Year!
I know I said not to make big commitments, but do try this: Go to www.skatinguphill.com for old/new PINK articles, daily thoughts, recipes, and much more. Love, Judith