It’s that time of year when we renew our commitment to doing all those things that we failed to do in the previous year. I’m testing the theory that putting my list out there will improve my adherence. Should I fail on any resolution, I will strike through it. But I will leave it on the list to remind me to give it another shot during the year.

Here’s my to-do list for this year …

New Year’s Resolutions 2020

• Quit smoking
• Hit the weight-loss diet hard
• Go for a walk first thing in the morning
• Sleep more & don’t get up so early
• In the new year, don’t eat any leftover chocolate from December 31st, 2019.
• Don’t try to eat all the remaining Christmas chocolate & candy on December 31st, 2020, in anticipation of starting a diet on New Year’s day, 2021. Again!
• Drink my coffee black
• Try to be nicer to everyone. Except that person who lets the dog poop in my garden & then doesn’t scoop. Your days are numbered, I’ve got a new webcam trained on the front yard now!
• Stop watching CNN & Fox News so much &, instead, watch TV5. I don’t speak much French yet but it’ll probably still be better for me!
• Win the lottery. Hey, if you don’t ask!

New year’s resolutions are both inspiring & daunting. We like to think that a new year brings with it a whole new mindset & a brand new approach to living the life we’re really supposed to be living. Of course, for me at least, it rarely works that way. I usually fare miserably with my list of resolutions. However, that’s no reason for despair. Most of us are perpetual works in progress & we’ve got to screw up enough new year’s resolutions to become accepting of that. That, in & of itself, is a developmental achievement. It’s like when you get a new car & the elation of driving off the lot is quickly replaced by a constant worry of it getting dinged. You know what I mean … you park it at the empty end of the parking lot & walk to the mall entrance, in a blizzard, knowing you’ve done the right thing to protect your baby. When we finally buy a new car & park it as close to to the entrance as possible, we feel liberated. Resolutions work pretty much the same way. When everything doesn’t fall into place, it doesn’t mean that we are useless human beings. It just means that we are not ready to take the next big step yet.

Or am I just making excuses already!?!

Let me wish you all the very best for the New Year. I hope it’s a great one for you & for all those you hold dear.

Let me know if you’ve made any resolutions & let me know how they work out as the year progresses.

Thank you for reading my stuff throughout the past year, I appreciate your comments & your encouragement along the way. It really helps. If you want to exchange thoughts, ideas & comments, please follow The Wry Eye Facebook page, just click the Facebook icon. It’s a little easier to chat on Facebook.