I am Resolute!

I am aware that people sit on both sides of the resolution fence. But I have always been a believer. I enjoy this holiday more than most, not for the popping of champagne as the ball drops in Times Square, but I look at it as a new opportunity to clean house and start fresh again. We all take detours in life and this is a chance to press the rest button or jump ahead to a past our current road block.

My countdown has taken place in different places - sometimes in decadent fashion at First Avenue, others time in silence up North. But it is usually in the company of good friends having so much fun that we forget to turn on the television and announce the actual moment. A good tradition to have.

With my new blogging ritual; I am feeling the need to proclaim this years resolutions. Not as a way to dangle them in front of others. But, possibly if I put them out there in print to the larger world, it will hold me more accountable? I usually have about a 50% return rate. Here in no order:

1) My biggest need is to find more Balance in my life. General I know. But my Virgo tendencies get caught up in the details and it binds me up more than it should. I need to give myself small benchmarks, pat myself on the back when I reach them and let go. Instead of brooding and pandering to the minutiae of little things that seem to matter to me, but make no dent in the much larger picture.

2) Eat breakfast. I enjoy my mornings, but tend to ease into the day with a cup of coffee or tea and launch into my tasks. By noon or 1PM I start to realize that I am running on fumes because of neglect. I have never been ruled by my stomach. There is always plenty of food in the cupboards so all I need to do is take the time to grab something and go. Today it was a bit of granola with blueberries. An easy fix.

3) Read more BOOKS. I do read plenty, but most of it is now digital media. I am a huge fan of daily blogs and my Google Current magazines. Usually a few paragraphs in GQ or Entertainment Weekly. But I have a set of shelves next to my bed with gift books and garage sale finds that have been waiting for patiently a few years now. It should be an easy task of reading a short chapter or two each night before bed. My the goal is to finish a single hardcover book each month. 12 - is not too big a task.

4) Eating out. Jeff always jokes about my Group-on fix of buying great bargains and then never using them before they expire. But another possibility are the onslaught of eating adventures within the neighborhood. I always notice the barrage of joints along Lake Street. There are always great write-ups about happy hours for the taking. We have talked about the Food Truck craze for months now and even have a tablet app for them. So once a month, I will sample something new and unique instead of drawing on my regular standy-bys.

5) Eating in. This should be an easy challenge. I really do enjoy the task of cooking and baking. Jeff & I both do. On a long work day I love coming home to the crock pot on low and a fresh baked loaf in the machine. It is never the cooking at issue, but the menu planning. It starts with a grocery list and then allowing the extra time to let it bake. Once a week should not be too hard to have the nice sit down meal with all 4 food groups.

6) Fitness. This is on almost everyone's hit list. I need to find a way to include it and make it unique for me. I think the days of hitting the gym are long gone for me. I don't have the money for the membership or the time at hand to make it a daily task. So I need to find creative ways to sneak it in. I love yoga classes for centering but never make it the priority. In winter it can be as simple as sledding or skating. In the summer I love the biking at sunset. I just need to pencil it in rather than making it a luxury. Abs will be back by spring.

7) Game nights. My family has always been a playing one. I love logic games, creative games, skill games. Anyone who knows me is aware that I have an entire closet devoted to over 50 games. I love Clue, but does anyone else have 4 versions of it? (Although I am still on the lookout for "The Office" edition.) But games are no fun to play by yourself. I want to be able to have a game night a month with friends and food. Stay tuned for invites.