Every year, millions of people make a resolution to change in the upcoming year. Lose weight. Exercise more. Go back to school. Scratch off an item on their bucket list. Try to keep a plant alive for more than a couple weeks...
Every year, millions fail.
I am guilty of failing for many years. Quitting smoking turned out to be a success, but weight loss after quitting smoking has been a disaster. Exercising has been a bust as well. The more weight I gained, the more tired I became, the more tired I became, the less motivated I was, the less motivated I was, the more I ate.
So, as my husband and I consumed pie, cookies, and candy over Christmas, talking about starting a diet on the first of the year (same discussion every year), I started to feel the disappointment set in.
I hadn't even started yet and I was already failing.
I made a momentous decision about what I'm actually resolved to do. I'll try to eat healthier and lose weight, but I often try this every few weeks so it's not really a resolution.
This year, at the end of each day, I resolve to write down the most memorable thing that happened to me. Whether it was laughing hysterically, crying, getting angry, smiling for no reason, or just a quiet moment holding a purring kitten...
I will write down the one thing that stuck out the most to me that day and at the end of the year, I will open that jar and read the little pieces of paper. I may add a small token of a memory. I may even share my experiences with my husband.
I will take stock of what my year consisted of and learn from it. Did I spend too much time mad at my husband? Did I laugh a lot? Was I a positive or negative person?
Next year, the resolution will be to focus on those good days and try to eliminate the bad. Like counting calories for my spirit, I resolve to fix myself from the inside out. One day at a time.
You can't lose a hundred pounds overnight and you can't heal your soul in a breath. A year-long project to choose the right resolution for myself, one that won't fail. To become a better person, mother, wife, friend.
