Old Resolutions

The end of the year usually leads to some reminiscing about the “good old days” – holidays with the family, fun times, missed opportunities and maybe some sad memories. It’s also a time to look to the future, believing that new opportunities are coming and perhaps we can do better in the New Year.

As a child I can remember talking about New Year’s resolutions with my folks. They usually had suggestions like cleaning my room, taking care of the dog, eating everything on my plate and getting better grades in school. Getting better grades in school hung around for a long time – actually until I got out of school. Mom always thought she should try some new cooking ideas (she was right about that one), learn to sew and save money on everything we bought.

Most of all, I remember my dad starting the new year by tossing out a couple of cartons of cigarettes and declaring an end to smoking, “This time for sure!” Mom would be happy for a few days or maybe a couple of weeks, but I don’t think dad ever made it through January. They finally reached a compromise the year dad resolved to never smoke in the house again. He stuck to that one until he died – smoking,

I’ve been looking for my list of 2010 New Year’s resolutions – it’s a good place to start for 2011. In my family rolling over the same resolutions year after year limited the disappointments to a finite number and kept you from being overwhelmed. I always like to check the old list just to see if anything should be crossed off. There’s really no reason to add a bunch of new things when the old resolutions are still perfectly acceptable – eat better, exercise more, be nice to people, get a physical, give a little back when you can, and stop to smell the flowers.

And just in case dad happens to be watching, I’m leaving “no smoking” on the list again this year.

A. Reader