Resolutions for the New Year

Each year everyone thinks about what they’d like to do differently for the new year. Most (98.9%)* of those resolutions involve health, diet, losing weight, etc. This year in our Adult Bible Fellowship class (Sunday School for all you traditionalists) the guest teacher even asked us if we had any resolutions.

One guy said his resolution was to not make any resolutions. He had too much trouble keeping them.

That’s a copout, I wanted to say. But I didn’t want to start something in class so I kept quiet. I knew I’d get on my soapbox here later anyway.

Resolutions are supposed to be challenging. To not make one says a lot about you:

1. you’ve given up on the fight for self-improvement before you even start,
2. you’re so narcissistic you can’t see room for improvement,
3. you’re so depressed you need more help than a resolution will give you or
4. you have an entitlement mentality that makes you think why should I change?

Laurie from CrazyAuntPurl is one of my favorite bloggers. She spent last year recording her efforts to achieve just two goals:

1. Get really healthy
2. Come from a place of yes (later redefined as “Get happy!”).

She did a recap each month in her blog. I’m going to adopt her method of tracking my resolutions. Each month I’ll let you know how well I’m doing. And here’s what I resolve to do in 2011:

1. Get healthy
2. Show hospitality

The first one is the one I make every year. This year I’m going to keep going to Weight Watchers ’cause it works!  I lost 20 pounds and maintained it over the holidays! Major props to me. And that was with making elebenty-dozen (actually only 25 dozen) cookies for gifts this year. Besides, I haven’t gotten a smart phone yet, and I need a smart phone. That’s going to be my reward for reaching goal weight. I will get a smart phone. Preferrably an iPhone. Then I can take pictures, post them on the site, e-mail them to people, update my Facebook status and my site, and just generally be fully swimming in the hi-tech info stream.

Only 79 more pounds to go before I get there. That really doesn’t sound as bad as it was. 79 beats 99 any day of the week.

My second resolution is the one that is seemingly at odds with the first. I’m going to have more dinner parties this year! My New Year’s Day drop-in was a success (and I successfully packaged and sent home all the extra cookies with my guests.) I’m planning a new dinner party for Friday, Jan. 14. This will have to be a low-fat, calorie conscious meal, since so many of my guests have adopted resolution number 1. I’m up to the challenge – I make a mean salad, my ambrosia is to die for, and I’m researching low-calorie make-ahead dishes with chicken right now.

Besides, I think there are fewer calories in home-cooked meals than in fast food anyway. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

The entire reason I bought my new dining room table was so I could have more people over for dinner. I plan to use that table, and share my home and my life. Enough being a hermit in my cave! Besides, winter offers the opportunity to eat so many healthy soups: chicken, borscht, bean and chili! Per the guests as last night’s drop-in, looks like I’ll be hosting a chili cook-off soon.

So there you have it: Get healthy and show hospitality to others. Sounds like 2011 is going to be a great year.

*I totally made up that statistic … but I bet it’s true.