Resolve and Resolving: Resolutions 2012

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Last year I made ten resolutions and only managed to honor one, so this year, I'm going to be honest and realistic with myself and resolve to do only what I know I'm interested in resolving.

Drink more. When you think about it, life is rosier after a glass of wine. My goal is to down all those bottles I've been keeping for a special occasion. Ladies and gentlemen: I am that special occasion!

Dance, Dance, Dance. It's been way too long since I've been out on a dance floor, bar or stage. My goal is to dance every day. Yes, every single day. And I'm not talking lame Wii or zumba moves. I'm talking African Healing Dance, Belly Dancing, and whatever gets me up and shaking a leg (or grove thing), busting a move, etc.

1000 words. The book won't write itself. It's up to me to sit in the chair, or on the couch, or in the car, and write. My goal is to write 1000 words longhand every day. No matter what.

Read Dickens. 2012 just may end up being the best of times, or the worst of times, but I'll have Dickens there to show me how we humans navigate ourselves in hale and fallow times. My goal is to read Charles Dickens' oeuvre, starting with "Great Expectations".

Get Paleolithic. As in eating fresh fruit, lean meats, vegetables, and sea food. My goal is to cut back refined sugars, grains, vegetable oils, and salt. I have no interest in making the Paleo Diet my new religion. I just want to get healthier.

Explore Chocolate. Do I really need to explain myself on this one? My goal is to go dark, very, very dark.

Worry Less. There's a lot to worry about right now, but I think that's the history of the world. There always was a lot to worry about. My goal is to worry less and thereby stop grinding my teeth and ending up with cracked molars and TMJ. I will let the worry present itself, I'll shake it's hand, say it's name, smile, make it feel like it's the only worry in the room, then nod and move on. I will make it a point to focus on seeing what is rather than horriblizing even the smallest worry into the Apocalypse.

Get Out of Dodge. It may be true that most men and women travel the entire world searching for treasure, only to discover it in their own backyards, but I want to search the entire world. I've spent far too much time in my own backyard to appreciate it. I need to leave and come back. Then I'll look for backyard booty. My goal is to make small forays out into the broader world. So far, I have trips to New York City, and Paris on the docket. I can hear the voice of Hagia Sophia all the way from Istanbul, and the mosaics of San Vitale in Ravenna beckon.

Cut My Losses. This one is going to be hard. My goal is to untie any Gordian knot that is keeping me tethered to a past that no longer exists. I am going to clean house and send that which no longer adds to my life, either packing or to the goodwill. No hard feelings.

Give Thanks. I'm not getting all Thanksgiving here. What I'm talking about is, saying thank you to people, I may or may not know, that have impacted my life, people whom I admire, people whose work I admire. My goal is to write a thank you note a week, address it, put a stamp on it, and put it in the mail. Even if you think you know me well, you have no idea how difficult the process of getting something in the mail is for me. At the close of 2012, I will have written and mailed 52 thank you notes, (and in the process shed one neurosis).

Keep Track: All we have is each other. In this life it is comforting to know we have friends who love us despite our many failings. Accept us for ourselves. Love us despite our quirks and tempers. Take our calls at unreasonable hours. Know our secrets and still like us. Defend us against our enemies with a fury worthy of myth. Break our fall. Catch us when we trip over ourselves. My goal is to contact every friend I've let slip under the horizon.