Reassessing Resolutions

By Amy Coward

Before I packed away the decorations or even ate my last Christmas cookie, the magazine headlines were hitting me square in the face. “Fight Flab and Win”, “5 Simple Ways to Get Organized,” “Make More Money in 2015” – -they all claimed – and every television news show hosted experts on how to be better at everything in the New Year. Somehow though, this wasn’t inspiring me. Instead, I felt overwhelmed at all these promises of perfection.

I’ve been sucked in by these promises for year. I’ve declared I would “lose that last 10 pounds and keep it off”. And guess what? It’s still there. I’ve also said I would organize our home office and get all our records in order. That’s still a work in progress. Over the years,  I’ve resolved to drink more water, eat less red meat, clip more coupons, volunteer more, go to the gym every day, write in my journal, read more classic novels and save more money – all of which were very short-lived, only partially achieved or not successful at all. Why do I keep doing this to myself?

This year, I was going to skip making resolutions. I was determined to just take it day by day and do the best I could. But then I gained a fresh perspective on the matter in an unfortunate way. Just before Christmas, a colleague of mine died very suddenly. He was very young.

Naturally, this made me think. Not about fighting flab or getting organized, but other things I need to do. Things I would regret not changing.

For this reason, my resolutions this year are going to be totally different. I’m going  to:

1. Kiss my husband goodbye every day before I leave for work. (Don’t judge me. Sometimes I get in a rush or I forget.)
2. Give my kids a hug when I see them – every time. (What kind of mother am I anyway? One who needs to hug more.)
3. Say something nice or encouraging to people – something that will make their day. (Be okay that they might think I’m crazy.)
4. Do something to help someone more often. (Be less about me.)

I know it’s morbid to think I may not be here tomorrow, but let’s face it, I may not. But I believe between fighting flab and clipping coupons, I can find a little time to add some kissing and hugging and being nice to my schedule in 2015. Or at least I can try.

And who knows, maybe next year, these ideas will make a magazine cover.

Amy Coward is a public relations professional in Columbia, SC. When she is not managing the madness of event planning at Palmetto Health Foundation, she is turning her empty nest upside down looking for fun and finding it.