I resolve to resolve in 2009

Happy New Year!

Another year is past, and I probably offer the same sentiment that many others have – good riddance. That’s not to say that 2008 was all bad. We had a fairly successful Minnesota Twins season. Michael Phelps gave us someone to cheer for during the Olympics. Another of our three children was able to buy his first house. The weather was reasonable for camping in the summer and our autumn trip to Rocky Mountain National Park was a highlight of the year. But, to be honest, I can’t think of very many other positive things. In July, my mom died at age 95, a sad occasion and end of an era. Gas prices went sky-high, making it more painful to take our beloved road trips. No Jack Bauer on TV. The constant political ads drove me crazy – so much so that I didn’t feel like voting for anyone by that first Tuesday in November. The world’s economic picture grew worse and worse as the year went by – bank failures, job losses, stock market woes and worry over retirement savings. At least I never met and invested with Bernard Madoff.

But, enough of this negativism. It’s time to start fresh! It’s a new year, and with it a chance to renew ourselves in any way that we can. Let’s be positive! Let’s make a difference! Change is in the air! How about a New Year’s resolution or two? It is only fitting, being a New Year’s Eve baby, that I should use the event to make resolutions.

We have all done it before. We look down at the belly that wasn’t there in our youth and say, “Be gone. I will lose weight.” We balance our checkbooks and find there is more month left at the end of the money and say, “I will stop spending.” Today I heard a quote that was attributed to Carl Pohlad, late owner of the Minnesota Twins. He once asked someone if they would like to learn how to become a millionaire. He said, “Start by being a billionaire and buy a major league baseball franchise.” Oh, to have that problem! It sometimes seems that the more money one has, the bigger the headaches, but it sure would be fun to test that theory, wouldn’t it?

So, what are some reasonable resolutions for me? I could probably build a list with 20 items, but in the interest of success I've whittled it down to a doable 5. Here is what I resolve to do in 2009:

1. Lose the 10 pounds I gained back last year, and then lose another 10. That would put me 40 pounds lighter, total, over the last 2 years.


2. Finish building my new website. (Actually, this might be a resolution for my wife and son; they are doing all of the work.)


3. Complete at least 2 new pieces of art per month for the entire year. It may not seem like much, but adding this to my already jam-packed schedule of a full-time job and handling house issues is plenty, unless cloning me is an option.


4. Blog more often. Many people write daily, but considering the reasons mentioned earlier, I resolve to write at least once per week.


5. Stop being such a procrastinator! Get on the stick! Make a move! Git-R-Done!

What are your New Year’s resolutions? As for mine, I think I’ll start tomorrow.