New Years Resolutions

When I was younger I used to go crazy with my resolutions list.  I had categories, right?  Health, Spiritual, Work, Relationships, etc.  Heidi thought I was  a little nuts.  Probably I was.  Then I went the other way.  For years I thought resolutions at the New Year were silly.  Why not have May 24 resolutions?  Why not June 21?  I put it all behind me in favor of a one-day-at-a-time view of resolutions.  That works too, right?  No time like the present.  Every day starts anew.  That kind of thing.

This morning I was reading the people page of the newspaper (hey, I'm on vacation).  There was a list of celebrities (many of which I have honestly never heard of) and their resolutions.

Fergie (singer, right?) wants to eat healthier - "eat more raw".  Makes sense.  Carmen Electra (model?  actress? singer?) wants to have more fun.  That sounds like a worthwhile goal.  Sencer Pratt (???) wants to stop eating pizza every day.  That can't be good for you.  Brittney Spears (OK, I have heard of her) wants to stop worrying so much.  Definintely a good idea.  Coolio (rapper?) wants to live off of other people as the economy is so bad.  Logical.

So, once again, I thought I'd give it a try.  It turned out to be sort of a stream of consciousness list of things to do more and things to do less.  They are in no special order and there is lots overlap.  It was cathartic.

*Pray more

*Trust more

*Love more

*Care more

*Laugh more

*Cherish the time with my boys - they won't be boys for long

*Whine less

*Waste less

*Want less

*Read more

*Write more

*Play more guitar

*Learn more

*Act less like a know-it-all

*Talk less

*Listen more

*Follow the commandments

*Make more friends

*Appreciate the friends I have

*Stay in touch better with old friends

*Seek to understand - not judge

*Be more curious

*Laugh more

*Cry more

*Feel more

*Be more careful about the feelings of others

*Eat more good

*Eat less crap

*Change what I can

*Stop beating myself up for things I can't change

*Take things more lightly, but...

*Stand up and fight for what I know is right

*Work harder

*Relax more completely

*Be in the woods more

*Pet my dog more

*Tell my students I love them more often

*Cherish the time with my folks, my siblings, my nieces and nephews

*Forgive more

*Apologize more

*Count my blessings more

*Share my blessings more

I still am very much of the view that we are the masters of our own destiny, that just making a list won't change things.  But it is a nice place to begin, a nice way to think about change.  

Happy New Year.