Where did the past year go? As I get older it’s not fair to say time flies; it’s fairer to say time twirls by like a fast spinning top, moving so quickly it’s a blur.
Despite the hectic pace of life, the New Year is a good way to wipe clean last year’s slate. Erase the blackboard, so to speak, and write a new chapter.
With that, I am proposing a different way to accomplish resolutions. Instead of casting them out like fishing line for the entire year, I am going to make my resolutions for one month at a time, reel them in, review them, and gauge whether or not I am catching up to my goals or decide that I need to throw them back and try another tactic to motivate myself.
Last year I didn’t have much to review. I set the bar low. I resolved to eat more chocolate. Check. Do fewer chores. Check. Sleep more. Check. Watch more TV. Check. Read more fun books. Half a check. Spend quality time with my children. I hope that was a check, but you would have to ask them.
What I got out of that list is predictable. I gained weight. Not muscle. Blubber. I fell behind on projects that I must catch up on this year, which includes painting the house inside and out, and copious amounts of yard work. Books on my must-read list are half read and TV, which I don’t like, occupied too much of my time. Walks in the woods which I love to take rarely happened.
So this year I am resolving to exercise. Not every day, I had never worked out every day, even when I was younger and more athletic. Three days a week is a good goal, and if I make four days some weeks that will be great. That’s something I will attempt to do and keep an exercise log as a way to make myself more accountable. Every month I will add up the time I spend working out and try to add more time to it. Not more days, but increase the duration of exercise.
As far as reducing weight, prayer doesn’t work to contribute to reducing weight. I tried that. Doesn’t work no matter how hard you pray. That is unless you are running a marathon and praying at the same time. That will work. Short of that, prayer alone is sure to fail. I hope the exercise will help, and it should, but I will eat healthier and sit less. I haven’t set an amount of weight I want to lose, but I want to take in a few notches on my belt and have my clothes fit better.
Accomplishing chores is manageable. Several yeas ago I used my lunch break to paint a door or window frame during the winter months. I painted mostly every day and got the inside of the house ship-shape. I am going back to that tactic, with a push here and there on weekends to get the house in order. With three cats and one curious dog ready and more than willing to help, the painting and cleanup are doable, and I most certainly won’t be lonely as I work.
Spending time with my two kids who are at home and any time I can spend with the two who have moved away is doubly important. As I said, time is like a fast spinning top. It seems like yesterday my oldest two were little, in pigtails, scampering about the house, laughing and playing together. Today they are 26 and 23. My youngest are 14 and 17. When did the kids get to be so old? You can’t take time back. But you can make the time you have count. That’s my biggest 2017 resolution. To make the time and take the time to be a better father, brother, son, and friend.
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