Me: Daniel, because you are my brother and my friend I will share some of my pumpkin pie with you.
Daniel:…Oh, okay. Thanks.
Me: You do like pumpkin pie, don’t you?
Daniel: I mean, it’s okay.
Me: I have decided you may not have any. I hope you understand.
Daniel: Yeah, that’s okay. You’ll probably enjoy it more.
Me: Undoubtedly. Good day, sir.
I have mixed feelings about New Year’s Resolutions.
One the one hand, I feel like there’s more negative connotations about false commitment than anything else. The tradition is roundly mocked and those who try to follow it are more often than not razzed by their fellows.
On the other hand, I’m a great proponent of self-improvement. I’m all for healthy traditions that encourage it. I’m not Catholic, but I like the idea of Lent. Just like New Years, it’s a time of year when you know you won’t be alone, however much you’re made fun of, because there’s other people trying to do the same thing: be a better person.
Being a better person is something I’m trying to do all year long. That doesn’t mean, however, that I’d be self-righteous enough to declare we should get rid of the New Year’s Resolution tradition. That’d be like getting rid of Christmas because you’re suppose to always be hoping for peace on Earth and goodwill to men. There are many, many people each year who make and keep their Resolutions and I’m quite happy for them.
Like most years, this year I haven’t made any set goals that I would label as my Resolutions for 2012, but the general buzz about it helps me to self-examine. I can take stock of the personal goals that I have set for myself and decide which to focus on. I suppose that, in a way, that means I do have several New Year’s Resolutions.
See what I mean about mixed feelings?
In any case, I enjoy the time of Year and the energy in the air. If you have any Resolutions yourself, I wish you the best.
The deadline for the Writers of the Future 1st Quarter of 2012 was last Saturday. I did get my story in on time, only a few hours before midnight.
The tragic thing is that I finished that story in mid November. Then I sent it to my readers with no real deadline to respond. Then I got busy with the Holidays. Then I realized that it was due at the end of the weak and I quickly gathered what responses I could from my readers just in time to edit, polish, tear apart, and rebuild my story in time to turn it in.
So far my goal to turn in a story every three months is intact.