It's that time again; it's New Year's Eve, that nostalgic moment poised on the brink of a new year that hovers ever-hopeful before us. It's often a time of introspection, evaluation, and resolve. Almost everyone seems to be turning over a new leaf, and not just on the calendar. (Yes, I still use paper calendars.)
New Year's resolutions are often broken quickly; "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak," as The Lord put it. I think part of the issue with abandoned resolutions is that sometimes they are either unrealistic, e.g. "lose 50 lbs. by Easter" or too numerous--"start running, stop drinking, read a book a month, take a cruise, organize the photos, clean the garage." As experience has taught me, if we ask too much of ourselves, we can become discouraged quickly.
Last year I had five cross-country trips scheduled and one international journey. I made a single, double-sided resolution for 2022--to enjoy all my travels to the full and to not worry about Covid. I succeeded, and I managed to do so in continuing good health. I don't know if my resolution was fulfilled by positive thinking, a hearty constitution, providence, blind luck, or a combination of all. I'm just grateful that it worked out.
What's my resolution for 2023? I'm not sure yet, and I have another day to contemplate my decision. I do know that there will be just one resolution, and that it will be something I'm reasonably confident I can achieve.
In my ongoing determination to keep what's good from the past, I'll handwrite my 2023 goal on my kitchen's paper calendar. That calendar is a traditional gift from my adult children, compiled with dozens of photos of my grandkids throughout the outgoing year.
I'll never give up that wall calendar. Some resolutions are easy to keep.
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| Leaving 2022 behind |
