New Year's resolutions

Happy New Year! Did you stay up late to see the new year in? I didn't make it that long. The sofa was calling my name, there was a soft pillow over my head, Miss Paws snuggled up beside me, and I drifted off sometime before the crystal ball in Times Square made its descent. That's okay. Saying good-bye to days past always makes me a little sad, anyway--although then again, there were a few days last year that I won't miss at all.

Now I'm sitting here with a 2011 calendar in hand, flipping through all those nice, clean pages and wondering what's ahead. I'm trying to make a couple of resolutions, too. Here's a line I found in a magazine the other day, and I liked it so much, I thought about making it a goal:

Look: see the world in a different way.

Don't you like that? Imagine seeing everything that's old and familiar in fresh, new ways, with beginner's eyes, so to speak. Time to wake up, I'm thinking, and feel some enthusiasm again for life.

Then there's this resolution that I haul out year after year--because I never achieve it:

Write more, eat less.

The self-motivation experts say that the key to reaching any goal, or keeping any resolution, is to make it very specific. For example, I should say, Write ten pages a day and stop eating chocolate chip cookies. That's specific. But honestly, that's not going to happen, at least not the cookie part.

So how about some small, specific resolutions like these, instead?

I will go on a picnic with my family at least once this spring.

I'll make some of those homemade fruit popsicles that I saved a recipe for years ago. And enjoy eating them on a hot summer day.

I'll start my day by reading my Bible and saying a prayer.

I'll take a walk at least 3 days a week. Maybe more. Miss Paws is pushing me on this.

I'll set some boundaries and try not to feel guilty when people ask me to take on more than I can reasonably handle.

But--I'll do what I can to love and help my neighbor.

I'd better stop. This is a pretty big list, after all, and if I can stick to even half of these, I'll be doing okay.

Blessings to you as you step into 2011!