Resolutions in a nutshell

I do resolutions every year.  I honestly could not tell you why.  Because I never once truly believe that I’ll actually accomplish them. . .nor, actually, have the desire to.  (Go figure.)

But, someone in my past got me started on this whole resolution idea and, well, it involves LISTS.

And, if you have learned anything about me on this blog, it is that I do love my lists.

So, today, I sat down to consider my New Year’s Resolutions and two things came to me.

1. I actually want to write a list to accomplish
2. My friend was just telling me about a book she was reading.  I don’t recall the title; however, it’s along the lines of 1,001 things to be grateful for.

Anyway, my friend was telling me that this book would be right up my alley. . .you know, writing a list of 1,001 things to be grateful for.

I thought about that for all of 10 seconds, and realized that there is absolutely no way I could be conned into creating such a list.

This greatly surprised my friend causing her to feel the need to argue it’s values.

“It will force you to be grateful for the little things.”

Nah. . .not falling for it.

So, I explained that my list would be incredibly short.  To the point of keeping it to a top ten, and that was if I chose to list each family member seperately.

Then my friend said something to the effect of, “But I could easily come up with 234 things to be grateful for in my daughter alone.”

And that, right there, was the kicker.  Because my friend has 6 children.  And it doesn’t take a mathematical genius to realize that should she break her 1,001 things down amongst merely her children, one of them would be seriously lopsided in point value.  (Of course, 1,001 is a suggested value, I’m sure, but still. . .)

Heaven forbid that list ever be written down and her children someday find it.

For the reality is, sometimes your child is just completely on your bad side.  And not for merely a day, or even a week.  There are times, when you seriously wonder where that creature came from.  Yet, that very same creature, at some time past, and/or some time in the future will be the apple of your eye.

And, of course, you love them.  I mean, you may want to strangle them, but you do dearly love them.  However, one would be hard pressed in the troubled times to come up with things that you are grateful for in that child.

Yes, the more I think about it, the more I can most assuredly say, “There is NO way in hell, I would come up with such a list.”

And yet. . .

Yet, I started this post talking about resolutions and you, dear reader, are wondering where on earth my mind slipped off to.

But, it didn’t slip. . .In its own interesting way my mind took a little meander and hit upon something worthwhile.

So, here are my New Year’s Resolutions for 2012:

1. Be grateful for my family.  Stop taking them for granted.  Remember, regardless how hectic my day is, I can always “take a minute” to listen to a tale of emperial statue collecting in Ratchet and Clank™, even when that minute explodes into twenty-five.  Sit down and spend time reading or playing games that are not school related (that’s actually a toughy).  Embrace the grief that they can cause, for past experience has proven that in the end I have always learned something from it.  Remember my husband. . .and all that he is as spouse and father and friend.
2. Be grateful for my friends.  Somehow they always seem to be there for me, even when I’m out of line.  They are also so darn thoughtful it’s downright disgusting. . .Which, means I should really take a lesson from them and become more so myself.
3. Be grateful for the world around me and everyone in it.  I don’t get out near enough to apreciate the wonder that is in the world.  And, to be perfectly honest, people terrify me. . .so, it’s not like I make opportunities for myself to meet new people.  I suspect I might be missing something.
4. Be grateful for me.  HA!  Well, if that didn’t  blow your mind, I can tell you that it blew mine. . .completely out of the water.  I don’t think I have ever sat back and thought about me.  Which is fine. . .I mean, I don’t need to do a lot of thinking about myself.  But, maybe by discovering some of what there is about me to be grateful for, I can offer so much more of whatever that may be to the three aforementioned.

Now, if you truly believe that my Resolutions merely number 4, then you are obviously new to this blog.  I think I have a “resolutions” list of something along the lines of 1,001 action items, like “purge the basement”.  However, I suspect that if I work at the above 4 I will be guaranteed a fantastic New Year.

And somehow that idea makes resolutions worth accomplishing, doesn’t it?

Happy New Year!

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