It’s already March. How did that happen? As quickly as new years came and resolutions were made so did the time come for letting them go. I wonder how many people really stick to their resolutions. I’m sure the gyms were filled with people on Jan 2nd resolved to finally, once and for all, get rid of those last 5 pounds. I’m sure there were more people in the gyms Jan 2nd than there are today on March 2nd.
They say it takes 21 days to form a habit….I assume that also goes for bad habits, like not focusing on your writing on a daily basis, not going to the gym and eating every type of junk food your heart desires. After 21 days of that, the 5 extra pounds you’ve been battling will surely have turned into 10 and the motivation to do anything about it will have been overcome by the power of indoor heating, on demand TV and the nice bottle of cabernet you had intended to save for the dinner you’ve been invited to Friday evening.
Let’s face it; it’s cold out there. I think all resolutions have more staying power when made by the warm invigorating and energizing force of natural heat and extended hours of sunlight that come with springtime.
And don’t count on a winter getaway to a warm Central American country like Costa Rica to jump-start any serious work resolutions either. In the 2 weeks I was enjoying the warmer weather in an area with one main road, only half of which was paved, I got absolutely no writing done or any other kind of work done for that matter. I think my body has some sort of inner seasonal time clock that overrides the trickery of geographic relocation. “It’s still winter where I live,” my motivational center screamed at me at even the thought of trying to compose a sentence that made any literal sense. It basically hung up a sign saying please check back with us in early spring, in the meantime, enjoy your vacation and try not to feel guilty about the work you know you should be doing. Have a blessed day.
That is why I have waited until now to make my resolutions. March 2nd. So…. Right…. What am I going to really focus on this next year…10 months?
1) Getting healthy. Hopefully the Magnolia Bakery banana pudding I had last night for dessert serves as a see you only after I’ve lost the 5 pounds and even then only in moderation adios to all sweets. A thought here about the phrase in moderation. Whoever must have thought that up surely has enough self control to avoid said vice altogether and clearly is not in need of a phrase like “in moderation” to begin with. The rest of us who have no such control know that “in moderation” is a euphemism for boring and self-deprivation. While I do in theory agree with the concept of moderation, my endorphin centers seem to have a line item veto on the moderation front.
2) Writing every day. Yes. I will fight the good fight against a blank piece of paper every day. The emptiness that mocks my very existence, that mocks my creativity and feeds into my creative person’s worst enemy, the enemy of self -doubt and negative “That’s a stupid idea. You can’t really do that. Do you really think that’s good?” self talk. I will dare to make the first mark on the canvas that will eventually lead to another mark and then another with complete disregard for the outcome of what is written.
3) Trying to generally have a more positive outlook on just about everything.
Oscar Wilde said that "A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other". Considering most people don’t ever stick to their resolutions I find that making more than 3 would be a mockery of the whole process altogether.
Then again, I’m making mine in March and I’ve already resolved to be positive.
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