2023 - I Resolve…

Our Christmas season went by in a flash. We flew to Richmond, VA to visit with our oldest son Brennan and his wife, Hannah, for a few days. Then, we were off to Providence, RI to visit with Lin and her family for Christmas. With her four grandchildren in residence for four days, it was a hectic, but joyous few days of singing, playing, gingerbread-house-making, cookie decorating, secret gift-wrapping, and waiting impatiently for Santa to arrive. A whirlwind of activity and then oh, so quiet, when the kids left and just four boring adults were left to their own devices.

A several-hour connecting flight and we were back in Las Vegas, no worse for the wear, and preparing for the New Year. Yup, 2023 already and I’m making my annual New Year’s Resolutions. I really do try my best to make and keep resolutions. Some work, some don’t, but I keep on trying. So, here goes…

Read more, write more.

For nearly 20 years, we had no television and really didn’t miss it. We read lots, watched DVDs sometimes, played games and cards, published a daily blog, wrote magazine articles, and maintained a 45’ sailboat. We were never bored and always busy. Now, it seems we’ve settled into an evening routine and we’re watching TV more and reading and writing less. We don’t have cable, but we’ve been sucked into all the streaming service series and I miss the ‘good old days’ when we’d play a game of cards, then snuggle up for a good read. I’m planning to read more this year, work on a book we’ve outlined and have been planning for years, and spend less idle time watching the tube. Let’s see if that takes.

Brush up on languages I know and learn a new one

When we walked the Via Francigena from Rome to Canterbury a few years ago, I made a concerted effort to learn some basic Italian and brush up on my high school French. It served us well during our trip. I began studying Portuguese to prepare for our walk from Lisbon to Santiago, but then Covid happened, we didn’t go, and I didn’t get very far in my studies. We opted to travel in the USA and Canada this past year, no foreign language required for the most part. In 2023, we haven’t really decided where we’ll go, but so far, it seems we’ll remain in North America. I plan to treat myself to a subscription year of the Duolingo language app and brush up on Spanish, French, and Italian and then try learning Portuguese again… just in case the Camino de Santiago walk is in our future after all. Plus language learning is a good mind exercise and I can use all the mental exercise I can yet.

Continue Exercising

Speaking of exercise, continuing to exercise frequently has become part of our daily routine, but it’s so easy to skip a day or two, then three, then… you know how it goes. We love walking and bicycling, so we’re planning to keep at it. We throw in a couple of days at the health club each week just to keep things interesting. (That’s a David resolution that I could easily forget about!)

Gripe less and smile more.

I think of myself as a pretty happy person, but I do find myself whinging a lot sometimes. This doesn’t go right or that wasn’t the way I wanted it or it didn’t happen when I thought it should. I need to work on being more content with what I have and gripe less. We’re talking a major challenge here, but I’m willing to give it a try. Quit the bitching!

Be kind, be patient, be tolerant.

This darned resolution appears every single year on my list and I haven’t mastered it yet. I gave up smoking as a resolution way back in 1989. I’ve lost weight in fulfillment of a New Year’s resolution and maintained. I eat well and am as healthy as I’ve ever been. I’ve cut down on ‘adult beverage’ intake. Kindness, patience and tolerance, however, still elude me. I have my moments of enlightenment, but it just doesn’t seem to come naturally. I have a quick temper and it flares in seconds. So, it’s a work in progress and I resolve to keep on trying. I guess making small strides towards a goal is better than no progress at all. With that in mind, I’m hoping I can at least be a little better person than I was last year.

So, there you have mine. What about you? Do you make resolutions? Do you keep them?