Get in shape, be happier, spend less money, clean out the junk drawer, etc., etc. I could go on.
{continuing the five-year tradition of a New Year's day jump into Wakulla Springs}
Humans have a tendency to start things that they don't finish - at least, the humans that I know - and so it's not shocking that new year's resolutions get put down at some point and never get picked back up. Maybe it's the excitement of the new year that makes people make these grand proclamations (no more alcohol, go for a run everyday, climb Mt. Everest), but just as all things in this world must end, a gradual loss of enthusiasm is inevitable and the resolutions are quietly cast aside.
Life gets in the way. Maybe running is worse than you thought it would be, french toast too tempting, Starbucks too easily accessible. Sometimes running shoes and yoga pants are just too damn comfortable and putting on real pants is too much effort. But however long you hold onto your resolution before it flies out the window (a month, a day, all year), pat yourself on the back and know that you lasted longer than at least one person in the world.
As for my resolutions, I'm working to simplify my life. This year I'll turn twenty, graduate with my AA degree, most likely move away and most likely start my degree. It's going to be a scary year - one of growth and development and change - and the last thing I need is to train for a marathon or work towards bench pressing my body weight.
So my goals this year (because I like goals more than I like resolutions) are the following:
- get healthy. For 12 years, I danced everywhere from 2 days a week to 5 days a week, went to a noontime Zumba class three days a week and yoga on the nights I wasn't dancing, and obsessed over my flexibility. I watched TV while in a split, I stretched while brushing my teeth, and I made very little progress. I had an eating disorder, constantly worried about fitting in my costumes, and almost always felt guilty for truly enjoying a meal. 12 years of that takes its toll on your mental and physical health and my body was a train wreck. After I stopped dancing and once I'd given my injuries a few months to heal, I started running a minimum of three days a week. After five 5Ks and a year of this routine, old injuries (shoulders, hips, knees, feet) started popping back up and forced me to slow down. Over the past year and a half, I really haven't done much. For several months I was back to doing yoga twice a week and going for a walk around the neighborhood occasionally, but for the first time in my life since I was four years old, fitness was not the primary focus in my life. In the last year, I haven't felt a pang of jealously when I see someone with really good abs, and with therapy and lots of time, I no longer feel ashamed to occasionally have pancakes for dinner. All in all, I am healthier mentally, but I have found that my physical health has taken a turn. So this year I am going to get healthy. That means eating better, drinking more water, getting back into yoga, and trying to go for walks more than twice a week. No more extreme sports for me, just a healthy lifestyle.
- buy a bike. The bike that I used everyday during the summer from the time I was 10-15 is currently in rusty pieces on my front porch. My helmet has a bird's nest in it. This year I'm investing in a grownup bike and a bird-less helmet.
- be braver. For me that means becoming more comfortable being on my own, wearing more vintage clothes, and sticking up for myself.
I'm already pretty happy, I don't need to find my true love (seriously, not interested), and I'm fairly good at managing my spending. But there's always something that one can strive to be better at. I hope each and every one of you find your focus this year and have tremendous success!
xoxo,
Eliza
