I love resolutions – the chance to do it better – the chance for a do over – the chance to get it right.  If I don’t have a plan, then I’ll do nothing.  So I feel like if I do have some objectives, then I may just accomplish something.  Anything.  And I like writing them down – and research does show that if you write it down, then the chances that you’ll actually do it are much much greater.

Frankly, I think resolutions appeal to me so much because for so long, I felt like I wasn’t getting it right, wasn’t accomplishing anything that was good and so with each New Year’s Day, I felt grateful that I had yet another chance to redeem myself and to try again.  And after 53 years, I think I may just start to be getting the hang of it.  When most are probably feeling like they’re kind of starting to wind down and getting ready to coast the rest of the way, I feel like I’m just starting to get it right.  Sad sounding, I know, but not really.  Makes me feel hopeful.  Like I just may get it done before it ends.

Now, I have many many areas that I’m still trying to master and don’t have a grip on yet, like finances, and forgiveness, and many others I can’t even think of right now.  But I have the resolve to try to fix this and tackle these and a bit of confidence that I can do it.  And so that’s what I’m going to try to do this year.  So, during the year 2013 I resolve to:

1.  Pray more each day and not rush through my daily devotions and Bible reading.  I guess it screams something about me that I read the Daily Mail and Hello and The Daily Beast and The Pioneer Woman and ALL the other blogs I read every morning (and spend a 2 hour chunk of time doing so) BEFORE I do my Bible reading (which lasts all of 15 min.!).  Sheesh!  That’s a cringeworthy statement.  Honest, but humiliating.  Just keepin it real.

2.  Get ahold of my finances!!  This is a BIG one.  And I’m determined to do this and provide a good example to my sons before my eldest graduates from high school in 2 years.  If there’s anything that broadcasts my emotional IQ (and in a bad way), it’s my way of handling money.  I don’t know if I’ll use Dave Ramsey or what or who, but I am going to do this.  Know one person’s insight I won’t be using and that’s my own.  What’s that saying about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?  And how stupid that is? And like my deceased husband used to say “Just how many pair of black boots does a woman need?”.  As it turns out, she needs just one if that many, and I have nearly 20!  My sister recently asked me if I could afford something I was showing her I wanted and I replied “When has that ever stopped me?”.  But the older I am, the less fun having a lot of stuff is – and it’s no fun if it keeps you awake in the middle of the night trying to talk yourself down out of a panic-induced sweat worrying about how you’re going to pay your bills!  (Am panicking again writing this).  So, again, I’ll be trying to get a grip on our finances.

3.  Write on this blog every day for JUST 31 days.  If I say “for the entire year” – I will surely abandon it after three days and fail at blogging AGAIN.  So, am going to follow a fellow blogger’s example – By The Brooke – and try to post for 31 days.  And then we’ll see after that about further goals.  But not now – just want to get to Feb. 1.

4.  Walk my dogs EVERY morning  – meaning every day.  I used to walk my ONE dog three times a day – every day.  Then Nicki got an adopted brother/boyfriend, Oliver, and Nicki’s daily walks dwindled to whenever the heck I could get around to it.  Can’t walk them together.  Nicki is 100 lb. German Shepherd and can walk for hours and miles, and Oliver is 15 lb. dachshund who can walk for about 15 blocks and or minutes, whichever comes first and then he tuckers out and wants to be carried.  Plus, Nicki is very strong and very aggressive and doesn’t take kindly to stray dogs coming out of nowhere and charging her so all my attention needs to be focused on her and her alone during walks.  So, now, IF they’re lucky, they each get walked once a day and ONCE I get around to it and that might be 3 p.m. and it might be a rush job at 4:30 before sun goes down.  So . . . I resolve to walk each dog for a nice longish walk in the morning – every morning.  And if I decide to take them on additional walks, icing on the cake.  They deserve it and they need it.

5.  Try to do something nice for someone else – every day.  Not holding myself to a big thing, just a nice thing.  Seriously.  It’s all about this, isn’t it?  So why is this #5 on my list?  That should say something I don’t want you to hear.  Ouch!  But, as a Christian I need to be doing this.  Get the focus off of myself and my messy life and try to help a fellow brother or sister out.  Am still worrying about why this is #5 and not #1??

6.  Be more forgiving and not so judgmental.  Am going to lump these two together.  I have a big problem with forgiveness.  And I can gossip with the best of them.  Neither very godly traits obviously.  And I need to fix these about myself.  I’m getting depressed the more resolutions I come up with.  And again, why is this one AND #5 AFTER the ones about walking the dogs and blogging daily??  I have a lot of work to do.

7.  Get the interior of my home in order and fixed up and decorated the way I want it to look.  I work on this all the time it seems, or maybe I just worry about it all the time.  I resolve to get my bedroom fixed up and the main bathroom remodeled and three years on, my stairs finally done.  I am going to do these three things if it kills me.

8.  Post at least 2 items to sell on ebay EVERY day.  This doesn’t sound like a lot, but by the time I iron it, stage it, upload pics, and write description a sizeable chunk of my day is gone.  I am starting to build my ebay business up and I need the money to be coming in continuously; not here and there.  So, every day.  Two items.

I think this’ll do it for now.  I was going to resolve to NOT watch any “Real Housewives” – or not yell at my kids occasionally – or was going to resolve to clean house and car EVERY day – and drink a kale smoothie every day but we all know none of that’s happenin!  At least on on a regular basis.  And as for this past year – 2012 – it wasn’t all a bust.  I did paint the interior of my home – part of it anyway – and I did quit smoking (Yes!).

So, Happy New Year!  Enjoy your day!  Make some resolutions!

(I’ll be starting mine TOMORROW – I never start them on the 1st day.  I LIST them on the first day – then start in on the 2nd!  Of course.)