The Failed Resolution(s)

Having been on this planet for almost 32 years, an "adult" for ummm...let's say almost 14 years,
and a WISER adult for uhhhh....probably eight of those 14, I know better now, when asked what my New Year Resolutions are, the ones that most certainly WILL NOT make the list.

There are of course the standard ones:
Numero Uno: Lose Weight. Who doesn't want to lose weight? I think a majority of the nation wants to lose weight or else we wouldn't have such programming like 'The Biggest Loser' or 'Celebrity Fit Club.' You could even add 'Dancing with the Stars' to that list because after the first season, there were a bunch of celebs trying to get on the show for the sole reason of trying to get in better shape and lose weight. (It's just masked as a dancing competition.)
Why won't I put it on my resolutions list? I stopped talking about weight because my body is my body and I have accepted it for what it's worth. God gave me what I have and I do what I need to do - various sports, the gym and dance class. So I'm not a size 4/6 - I'm okay with that....to me, losing weight and staying healthy is a long term commitment. There are definitely parts of my body that need some work - back fat, lady lumps, love handles, etc but I'm working on it - and that's all I can do.

Number Two: Be nicer. Who couldn't be nicer? The whole world could stand to be nicer. But if everyone was nice, then we'd be living in Pleasantville wouldn't we, and some of us saw what happened there....
Why won't I put it on my resolutions list? Many could tell you that I can certainly stand to be nicer. In general, like 85% of the time, I think I am a nice person. Could I go the extra mile and be like 99% nice? Sure. Do I want to? No. Why? That's no fun.

Number Three: Save Money. I actually think this comes in right behind the losing weight as one of the most popular. Everyone needs to save money. For goodness sakes - my generation keeps contributing to social security but when we reach retirement age, we probably won't see a dime. But I'm not looking that far ahead in the future - I have my 401K (or four-oh-wunk, as Phoebe, from 'Friends,' refers to it), investments, and thankfully, my parents to fall back on if I ever get into trouble. But in thinking about it, I think my finances are pretty sound. Since buying a house, I have tried to be more careful to not become 'house poor' but I know I'll see that money come back around in tax returns and overall long term investment incentives.
Why won't I put it on my resolutions list? If I had a $1 for every time that I said I wanted to save more money...blah blah blah. So I finally came to the realization that if I keep putting this one on my resolutions list, I will have broken it within the first 48 hours of the new year, guaranteed. So I don't add it to the list - it's not possible. I look at it like this...my husband and I are in a financial position to buy what we need and occasionally by what we want (my wants more so than his, unfortunately...for him). It just comes down to being smarter with our finances. Now that we have a new house and a mortgage payment, and I've had about four months of experience with working with that payment and the house bills and house necessities, I need to be more careful with the wants versus the needs...and again, this is a long-term thing and will be ongoing.

You might be asking yourself, what is on her list then? Glad you asked - here they are:
1) Keep Reading. Some people might laugh at the phrasing - keep reading. Usually you might see 'Read More' or 'Read less' but growing up, I was never a big reader. It wasn't until I hit a personal low in 2006 that I started reading - and reading ferociously, I might add. So I'd like to keep on reading and expand my reading categories to more than just romance. But I'm not knocking down the romances completely because they really helped me get out of my rut and sparked a HUGE interest, in me, of British history. I ended my last book in 2007 with a style guide book but during the week of Christmas and New Years Day, I managed to purchase three books, that are now all on my nightstand.

2) Be a good President. No, I'm not running for office - probably a good thing for this nation and the world - but in the latter half of 2007, I became President of the Purdue Club of DC. I learned that we are the fourth largest alumni club in the nation, behind Chicago, Indianapolis (both of which have the geographic advantage) and LA. Honestly where LA came from, I have no idea, but one of my goals, during my tenure as President, is to make DC the third largest club in the nation. Watch out LA, it's all about the East Side!

3) Have another Girl Trip - The trip we had over Thanksgiving was SO MUCH FUN that I can't wait for the next one! And maybe more girlfriends can join!

4) Take a trip with my husband - my husband is, admittedly, not a good traveler. Therefore we didn't go on ANY vacations together in 2007. So for 2008, I'm looking forward to spring training in Arizona, in March, and a nice, long weekend away for our five year wedding anniversary. We're also planning a week-long Outer Banks trip with the whole clan including my sister's family and her brother in-laws - you know, the "kids."

So I'm looking forward to a good 2008 with my attainable New Year Resolutions! Wish me luck!