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Do you think resolutions are silly?

 

If you’re at all like me, you may have thought of New Year’s resolutions as silly after trying one or two and failing at them. But I recently heard a wise person ask why in the world would anyone knock the idea of a New Year’s resolution. He also suggested you would have to be a cynical person to be against them. I’m beginning to think that’s true.


Although it’s the middle of January already, it’s never too late to consider a New Year’s resolution.


Making a resolution forces you to think about how you can become a better person or have a better year. It makes you think about things you can work on and shows that you are aware there are things you need to or want to improve. Those are certainly good things. After the last couple of hard pandemic years, I think moving away from being cynical is a good idea. 


Perhaps that’s a good resolution for me. I am typically a positive person. I try to see the best in people. I expect good things to happen. I always believe my team can win, no matter what. But I have become more cynical the last couple of years, worrying about the future more, and  learning to distrust pretty much every institution that exists.


Although I don’t think it’s a bad thing to be a critical thinker and not buy into everything I hear on the news or social media from anyone or any organization without a lot of thought and not to be too trusting, I will try to be as positive as I can. One way to do that is to trust in God. 


I believe God is sovereign and has a plan, which sometimes allows bad things to happen in order to make his will happen. That belief alone allows me to be more positive in general about everything. 


Another good resolution for me is to continue with my healthy habits. I drifted away from those good habits during the holidays. Although I did enjoy myself and do not regret my indulgences too much, now it’s time to get back to the business of taking care of my body better. 


I also plan to take time and enjoy the people in my life more, not rushing through anything. This last month I enjoyed having my son around again while he was home for his holiday break from college. Today I made a point to take him out for coffee and sit with him for just a little bit so we would have time to talk, just he and I, before he left to go back. I will do more things like that. 


Having my husband on the road regularly as a truck driver makes me appreciate the time I have with him when he’s at home. My goal is to enjoy spending time with him and try not to focus on cleaning up messes or any other unimportant things while he’s here. I will also stop what I’m doing and listen better whenever my teenage daughter wants to talk about what’s going on in her world. 


So… Here’s to being more positive, healthier, and making more time for the people I love. I may fail at those things every now and then, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to try. 

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