Lofty yet Pedestrian New Year's Resolutions

It’s 2010, not technically a new decade but for those of us who are not mathematicians, it’s a new decade which means even greater introspection than the beginning of those years that start in numbers that are not zero. I am challenging myself to come up with some meaningful goals, objectives and resolutions for the New Year, this new decade, but everything seems either too lofty or too pedestrian. What I’ve decided to do instead is make a list of the things that I think I should aspire to, but am probably too lazy to actually make a habit of…

Pray the Rosary
Stop eating meat
Eat a lot more veggies
Stop watching television
Read more books
Read the paper everyday
Write everyday
Work out hard
Arrest materialism and consumerism
Live within my means


See? Lofty and pedestrian but now that I see it on the screen, perhaps not so undoable. If I pray the Rosary even one time, I’m already ahead of last year. Score! Maybe I won’t stop eating meat, but I can start with stop eating meat every meal, work up to stop eating meat everyday. That’s better, isn’t it? In fact, just today I subbed out the meat in my pho for a veggie version of the same thing – bravo. I’m noticing that many of the don’ts coincide with a do – no meat, more veggies; no television, more reading – it’s not such a big deal, right?

I guess what I really want for 2010 and beyond is to be the person that I think I should be. Left to my own devices, I think I would eat less meat, watch less TV opt for the things that make me feel better about my place in the world. What I am resolving to do is to choose those things. And look at it this way… I have a year to figure it out before the new decade REALLY starts.