New Resolve
I'm not sure if I'm a “glass-half-full” type of person, especially
when eggnog is involved, but I do know that I'm pretty positive when it comes
to a fresh start.
When I was in school, I always loved a new semester – it
meant I had straight A's. And all I had to do was not blow it to keep them.
Even now, I always start all my diets on Mondays. Every time.
I just love new beginnings. And we're headed towards the
biggest new beginning of all – New Year's Day.
My family likes to begin fresh, too. They all have New Year's
resolutions. Of course my husband's resolution was less about a fresh start,
and more about his just being fresh. He said (and I quote), “I resolve to
be more tolerant . . . of lactose, specifically.”
My 11-year-old said his goal was to help with his Scout Troop's
Christmas tree pick-up. But I happen to know that it's not so much about earning
money for camp – it has a lot more to do with riding in the back of the trailer
with the trees.
Visalia Mayor Jesus Gamboa has
a nobler goal in mind. Mayor Gamboa said, “As a
city, we have had a lot of projects that are pending for several years. I
think my resolution would be to prioritize those projects and finish them
before we start taking on any new ones.”
Those are words of wisdom for anyone. One look at all the
unfinished crafts in my closet will attest to that.
My 18-year-old college student said he resolves to have better
dates next semester. When he saw my raised eyebrow he quickly changed it to
“better grades.”
When I asked my 16-year-old if he had any goals for the new year, he said, “Get buff.” Then he added, “Actually finish
my Eagle, get my license and get buff.” Probably not necessarily in that order,
but it made his mom happy.
My uncle, Ron Fries of Pennsylvania, says he's going to do
his best to quit smoking.
Cindy and Don La Mar of
If you too make healthy resolutions, you are not the only
ones. A Wall Street Journal Online/Harris poll from last year showed that
44 percent of Americans made health-related resolutions.
Exercise more frequently, lose weight, eat a healthier diet
or eat less food, get more sleep, stop smoking, participate in stress-relief
activities such as yoga or meditation, take prescribed medications and consume
less alcohol topped the list of resolutions in that poll.
Of course, that poll also showed that those same people had
also made health-related resolutions the year before . . . and not met their
goals. And while women were more likely to make a resolution, men were “more
likely to say they were successful.” I made note of the word “say.”
My cousin, Mary Jane White of
Our friend John Loyd said that
if he were to make a New Year's resolution, it would be for his family “to
spend more time with people that we like and care about.” That made my day,
because the Loyds just had us over for dinner!
But my favorite bit of wise resolve came from Josh Koch,
originally of
So if you make New Year's resolutions each year, you're definitely
not alone – even if you're like me and make the same ones year after year.
As I discovered in that poll, almost half of
The above stories are the property of
The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission
in writing from the publisher.
