New Year’s Resolution 2010.
The idea of having a new year’s resolution was always appealing to me. Everyone has little nuances, oddities, or perversions that they would like to change, but the only time of the year that really allows you to put an end to the past and start anew in a literal way is January 1st. Of course, this doesn’t ultimately have a huge affect if you’re not entirely committed. Every since my pudgy preteens I have used January 1st as the first day of my new diet or exercise regiment – and it’s clear where that got me.
While at risk of challenging my status as “classy” I will share with you a successful resolution – in fact, my first successful resolution. January 1st, 2008 and was the first day of my new underwear routine in which I decided I would wear underwear every day. To most, this seems like an easy feat, but in fact I had become so accustomed to not wearing underwear to avoid VPL that it became a habit.
For those who do not know, VPL stands for Visible Panty Line. Of course, this typically does not occur among women who wear appropriately sized clothing, but the horrors I had witnessed out in the world had caused this to affect my daily routine.
To reboot, my 2008 was a success. Not one day did I break my resolution and in fact, it is something that has stuck with me until this day. Unfortunately, I didn’t want to curse myself in 2009 so I didn’t make any resolutions, but here goes for 2010:
My resolution is to be more like my dog.
I want to enjoy the little things – this may not mean wafting in the scent of dirty socks, but green grass, nice weather, a warm and comfortable home are all things that I take for granted.
I want my desires to occasionally overtake me. We live in such a structured world that the fear of “doing something wrong” ultimately guides our every decision. This isn’t wrong, but it also isn’t living. My dog knows that she shouldn’t rummage through the trash. In fact, 59 days out of 60 she can control herself – but sometimes her desire causes her to lose all sense of consequences.
I want to play. Being stifled in an office doesn’t give anybody much of an opportunity to play around. I’m lucky that I have a boyfriend who promotes play and encourages me to let loose and laugh and spin – but this year I will be the one that tickles once in awhile, instead of the one being tickled.
I want to be less judgmental. Fortunately, and unfortunately, I have really high standards in most parts of life. How I have to look, behave what have you. But, after thinking about it, I realized that my dog could care less if I pick my nose, or eat a tub or ice cream, or how I behave. What makes her love me is the compassion I show her and my good intentions.
I want to wear my emotions on my sleeve. The biggest personal problem I have is I’m a bottler. Nothing more than a survival technique, I often will force myself to get over things, move things along, and not delve into great big messes. This has helped me be successful in love and in life because I am able to pick my battles, but it is nice for people to know where they stand with me. Rather than being hurt and moving on, I, much like my dog, plan to put my ears down and tell those when I’m hurt.
In return for teaching me life’s lessons, I aspire to walk my dog for just an hour a week in the New Year. It may not sound like a lot, and most of the time I tend to spend much more time with her, but even in the cold and rain I can endure an hour a week.
