Monday, October 15, 2012

New Year’s Resolutions, Did they stick? Why Not?


It’s October and as the year’s coming to a close I’m thinking about my New Year’s resolutions. There were two. Did I accomplish what I set out to do? Did that bring me the results I wanted? For each resolution there’s a different answer.

1.       Go to the gym to get in shape

My couch potato, always in front of the computer or TV self needed to get some good old endorphins so I joined a gym hoping the expense of 20+ dollars a month would motivate me—don’t let it be in vain. I started by getting a trainer, who taught me how to do many things and allowed me to get comfortable in the space. She was my ambassador to the world of gym. Then I had to push myself to go. I found I needed to push myself at my own pace and give myself my own reasons to be there. I like reading in front of the treadmill or rather editing. I find it allows me to be clear and focused.

There were a couple months I was lax, I got sick, time got away from me, I didn’t seem to want to go but I just came from the gym about an hour ago. I’m proud of that especially since last night I read an article that said the gym is teaming with germs—I’ve never gotten sick. Aren’t there germs everywhere? I am taking extra precautions to eradicate the germs on my gym bag and the Bible I take but for the most part I think my gym keeps things pretty clean. Of course washing hands is always important.

Now did I get in shape? I don’t know. I do feel my caves getting firmer, and my midsections kind of burns right now from the crunches. But am I in shape. I hope there isn’t an apocalyptic event anytime soon! I don’t think I’d be able to walk across Los Angeles with a rubber band and a black plastic bag to gather water in. But I’ve found even a 30minute work out on the treadmill makes me happier. Who cares about being in shape as long as we’re happy and not too unhealthy?

2.       Clean my room for at least 20 minutes a day every day.

When I made this resolution my bedroom, which serves as my family room and my office, was overflowing with papers; all the writing stuff I hadn’t had time to file in those two empty file drawers.

The twenty minutes a day was really pretty easy to manage, after the twenty minutes was done. I did spend a lot of the time grumbling, while I did it. Often I forgot and I’d try to do it right before bed, sometimes I’d just say “never mind” I’ll do 40 minutes tomorrow and then never do that. It wasn’t working.

What I ended up doing is while my parents were away I took all my file folders downstairs with the new box of new file folders and as I watched a marathon of “How I Met Your Mother” (after which I kept saying “Suit Up” to the kids I babysit) I filed everything in two days. My room was clean. I didn’t need to do the 20 minutes of clean up every day anymore…so I thought. My room is a mess again, which is what got me to thinking about my New Year’s resolutions. I think I have two main problems; I don’t put things away when I get them out and I don’t really have a place to put everything. In order to put something away there’s got to be a place to put it. I only moved into my new house two years ago. I should get on that and defiantly for a writer I need to make it easier to make new files.

So, it didn’t all work or the way I wanted it to. But we’re all a work in progress. Why didn’t it work is so much more important a question than did it work. Don’t you think?

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