Must Be a New Year

I just spend a blissful eight days away form the office. I slept past 6am every day. Worked only a little. Enjoyed time with my son, went to a nigh on empty gym, and did some last minute shopping. It was wonderful.

Yesterday was my first day back to reality. Seems the rest of the world is back in force, too. Gone are the short lines in Starbucks, the (relatively) uncrowded subway cars, the nearly empty gym. Sigh. My poor son went back to school, and came home inundated with assignments. He got enough of them done to allow him to go to his weekly Boy Scouts meeting, and I went to the gym. Last night, I walked into the locker room and found very few available. That should have been my first clue. I then found every single elliptical, treadmill and bike were taken. There were 2 old rickety cross-trainingesque machines available, and that's it. I hopped on one until another, more desirable machine opened up.

The power of New Year's Resolutions was very much on display. January is the time to turn over a new leaf in one's life book. Some will resolve to get in shape and/or lose a few pounds. To market to that segment, my gym is sponsoring a "Biggest Loser" competition. Others will try to quite smoking, get organized or land a new job. Maybe others will try to save some money or pay down debt. What it all boils down to is trying to curtail self defeating habits or behaviors.

I haven't made my resolutions yet. It's not for a lack of self defeating habits, it's that I worry about setting myself up for failure. I know that even if I do admit to a resolution or three, I would have to start out slow and steady, not charge from the gate. But charging from the gate is what I'm particularly good at, except in rare cases. When I quit smoking over 2 years ago, then started losing weight shortly thereafter, it was definitely not a charge but steady pace. That said, those life changes seemed to have come about nearly on their own. No actual decision, ceremony, discussion or deliberation. Last year I resolved to take better care of myself. To that end, I scheduled all medical checkups last January, and did so again just yesterday

Okay, so being doomed to failure as an argument against making New Year's resolutions doesn't seem to hold up. So, what can I decide to improve upon for 2008 and beyond? Maybe I can start by picking up the phone once a week and making one phone call to one person. Then maybe pick up the pace. That way, I will have a fuller life with those I love. Or at least they'd be aware in a concrete way that I love them. I think over the next few years I will try to resolve to unlearn some behaviors that have cost me dearly, and better learn from those that have taught me well. One at a time. Slowly. That should take some of the the pressure off to do everything right all the time. For a perfectionist like me, that is key.

r.