...and it's resolution time

New Years’ resolutions have never really been my thing. Most years I don’t even bother, knowing full-well my dismal record of throwing in the towel on my latest flavor of the year pledge sometime well-before March demonstrates I won’t have any luck pulling it off for twelve straight months. I’ve tried them all…better diet, learning more Spanish, watching less Housewives’ Reunions, playing the piano better, shedding unwanted pounds, implementing a more rigorous fitness regime, brushing up on German, brushing up on my teeth, learning the Uke, and even just trying to just be a better person (I know what you’re thinking on that last one…low bar). I’ve even tried stuff that’s easy to quantify…like drinking two bottles of water a day, or imbibing alcohol no more than two days a week, taking the metro at least once a month or even just taking at least one shower a week…but nothing seems to stick (except when I don’t regularly bathe).  

This year I considered a couple of things that seemed  pretty attainable. I’d love to cuss a little less, but I had more freakin’ F-bombs than Tannenbaums in December so I’m thinking I’m doomed. I haven’t had a drink of alcohol yet in 2013,  but it’s only January 4^th  (and it’s still early in the day) and I’m not even counting the two beers (which really is the same as nothing for me) I had at Guapo’s on New Years’ Day. Thought about being a little nicer to people, or being a more considerate husband, or being a better friend and spending more time with the people that matter, but even after a year that included the loss of two good friends, an honest glance in the rearview mirror of late shows there’s really not much evidence to expect any perspective gained by those painful experiences are going to hold.

Treating people better in the workplace would be a noble resolution goal, but despite routinely committing to do so, my constant transgressions in that area reveal I’m not liking my chances over the long haul. I could strive to just do my job better, or to serve and support my selfless boss more effectively, but again…I’ve got the mirror problem. Actually just trying to live by the Golden Rule would be a good aim, but if I did onto myself the way I’ve done unto some others of late, I’m not sure I would even like me. This probably seems kind of depressing, but in all candor, I’m just being honest and really can’t really think of anything fresh that might work…and more importantly, that I might be able to apply for 365 straight days.

There is one reason to be optimistic though, and while I don’t like my chances to stick to anything new in 2013, there is always the chance (and even the likelihood) I can keep the streak going I’ve managed to maintain every work day for three straight years. In late December 2009, I committed to walking up the stairs from the parking level (9 floors) every day for one year. Amazingly, and quite out of character, I was able to pull it off. Just as a side note I also committed to lose 10 pounds in 2010, but I recall ending the year heavier than I started it…so the stair thing didn’t seem to help in fat reduction department (probably all muscle weight in my quads). I was so emboldened by the first year stair performance that I continued it in 2011…and then again in 2012. So far, at least for the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th of January, I managed to walk up all flights in 2013 too (mostly while cussing in pain in English, and thinking about consuming red wine while watching the NJ Housewives when I got home after skipping my evening speed-bag workout).

What’s the point of all this? If you know, you must have resolved to decode more drivel in 2013.  It isn’t easy coming up with meaningful content every  week, and if you don’t believe that, just subscribe to this blog. Enjoy the first weekend of the New Year and if you have any resolutions, do your best to stay with them (unless it’s to be an even bigger A-Hole). If you don’t, feel free to grab any of the ones where I’ve miserably failed. For what it’s worth…you may want to start with the “spending time with the people that matter most” pledge. Just like the people, at the end of the game, it is that kind of time that will matter the most.

See you in the stairwell…or at least at the wine store.          

As always…sorry for the poor writing, typos, bad grammar and misspellings. No time to proofread…too busy providing links to good music.

Remember those days hanging out at the Village Green...