I Resolve

I hate New Year's Resolutions. Mostly because I hate January (mostly
because I hate being cold, cooped up and forced to look at dead sticks
sticking out of the ground). I am in no way motivated to do anything
other than trying to keep myself from hibernating, which given that it
feels like the sun never actually reaches the ground in January, is
more challenging than it would seem.

Last year's resolutions were loosely defined in January, but not
refined until my toes started to thaw out - sometime just before the
Memorial Day Snowstorm. This year, I feel like since I'm starting the
year out with a new house, new neighborhood and new commute, I should
actually resolve to do something besides "survive until Daylight
Savings Time comes back."

I'm just not sure what. There are a thousand things floating around in
my head that I have contemplated listing - running a half marathon to
further prepare for my backpacking trip (which in and of itself could
be an item), saving up to replace the pink (mauve?) carpet in the
living/dining room (it looks beautiful with the pale baby blue walls -
I'm pretty sure that color combination has never been authorized by
the likes of Pantone or Parsons School of Design), reading more to my
kids, reading more myself, taking a class, finally putting in a garden
that produces more than tomatoes and beets ... well, you get the
point, I could go on forever.

At the moment, however, it all just makes me tired. And hungry. And
feeling very much like a bear that has missed half her winter's nap.
So if I resolved anything right now it would be this:

-I resolve to love more visibly and yell less
-I resolve to be more dedicated in work and in play - finding a better
balance of both
-I resolve to develop a hobby
-I resolve to learn something new
-I resolve to stretch myself physically and mentally
-I resolve to make a friend in my new neighborhood
-I resolve to be better at budgeting, menu planning and saving (the
last thing on this list is an automatic given since I set up an auto
transfer - go me - mark one thing off, and it's only the 5th of
January)
-I resolve to keep stamps on hand and actually send mail (this means I
resolve to get out my 2011 holiday cards that arrived just as I was
packing up).
-I resolve to eat foods that make my body happy and do better at
eliminating the ones that make my body hate me
-I resolve to be better than I was in 2011.

And I resolve to write more. To get all the jumbled thoughts and ideas
out of my head and onto paper so I can sleep at night (providing the
girls get over their newfound fear of freight train whistles and stop
inviting themselves into my bed).

Onward. Bring on 2012.