Mary Ann Hayes

Making those New Year Resolutions year after year is ridiculous for someone like me. I’m like a dog on a race track; take the rabbit out of my site and I’ve nothing to keep me going. Same with the resolutions. The end result is so far down the road I either forget or give up before the end of January.

This year I’m going to make a list of ten things I resolve not to do and stick with it. For example: I’m resolving not to go to bed without brushing my teeth no matter how tired I am. I do that sometimes and when you really think about it, that’s just disgusting. Another thing I’m resolving not to do is over eat to the point that my stomach hurts, like I did at Christmas. My stomach would have been much more comfortable if only I’d stopped at full. But Oh No!  I just had to push it to the limit – you know, when you have to unbutton your pants so you can breath. I figure I’ll lose a few pounds that way too.

Another thing I’m not going to do is let anyone or anything stop me from reaching my goals. The world throws all kinds of road blocks our way and I have decided to find my way around them no matter what. I’m not getting any younger. It’s time to make things happen.

Also, self doubt is something that will no longer be a part of me or of my life.I’m going to resolve to trust myself. I no longer make rash decisions. I think things through carefully and have enough years under my belt to be trustworthy.

One really big thing is I’m resolving not to be so flaming politically correct. I will take a chance and risk offending a few people for the sake of being true to myself and my beliefs. I’m tired of tiptoeing around the special interest groups when they don’t do the same in return. They are no more special than I am and if they have a right to be heard and speak their minds freely than so do I.

I resolve not to try and look like I did when I was thirty any more. I will not compare myself to women twenty years younger than me and I will not buy into the worlds message that there is only beauty in youth and that that youthful beauty is what every woman should be striving for. This is a lie that has made too many women unhappy for too long.

I resolve not to pass judgement on first appearances. It’s easy to look at anyone and form a negative opinion without the slightest knowledge of circumstances. I once shook my head in disbelief that a young mother actually locked herself out of her car with her baby inside. I judged her to be unfit and ignorant – until it happened to me.

I’m a reader. I love books and always have a couple going at the same time. The problem is, I’ve never been able to stop reading a book I’ve started. I’ve always been obsessed with finishing what I start, no matter how bad it is or how much I am not enjoying. So, I’m giving myself permission to quit reading right in the middle of a book. I’ve wasted a lot of reading hours forcing myself to complete a book I don’t like, so I resolve not to keep reading something just because the rest of the world thinks it’s fabulous.

I resolve not to be lazy and find excuses not to go to church on Sunday mornings. Worshiping in the presence of other believers is strengthening and confirming. I need to remember how happy I am when I’m there even if getting there is often challenging.

And last but not least, I resolve not to drink so much wine. I really can make it through an evening without a glass of wine and the self control will keep those unwanted calories at bay. I love a nice glass of wine at the end of a long day, it’s true. Yet, unfortunately, I also like to eat with that glass of wine and then tend to over eat and pour another glass! Enough!

And so, another New Year and another set of resolutions but with a twist this year. I’m looking forward to the self improvements I have outlined for myself and the decisions made. Every new year is a chance to do better than we ever have before, a chance to surprise even ourselves. What are you going to do? (or not do!)

Later,

Mary Ann