Resolutions for 2016

The New Year inspires us to improve our lives. We reflect on our mistakes and our goals and we resolve to achieve something. I try to make one or more resolutions each year, primarily to entertain myself. If I grow as a person in the process, that's just icing on the cake. My favorite New Year's Resolution was the year I declared I would watch every movie that won the Academy Award for Best Picture. I had already seen some and crossed those off the list, but there were over 50 remaining on the list going back to 1927. I watched every single one. I rented, I borrowed, and I purchased from Ebay on VHS. That was the year Million Dollar Baby won, and I have continued to watch all the winners since then.

This year I was thoughtful and contemplated what I want to achieve. I decided I would make a resolution in each of 4 areas of life: Physical, Mental, Spiritual, Community.

Physical: Touch My Toes
I can't touch my toes. I can barely touch my knees. One year I had plantar fasciitis and the doctor said it was from unusually tight ham strings. "The entire kinetic chain needs work" he told me. I went to physical therapy briefly, which did wonders for the plantar fasciitis, but I still can't touch my toes. Resolution #1 = Touch my toes comfortably. Planting my palms on the floor earns me bonus points.

Tight stretch, January 17, 2016

Mental: Read Books
I love to read. I don't make time for it. I like to buy used books at yard sales and at Goodwill. I like fiction and non-fiction alike. Now the books are just becoming part of the clutter in my life. Resolution #2 = Read 12 books that I already own, and pass them on. Note: the first book is Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy. 150 more pages to go!

Spiritual: Give Thanks
I am about to begin a study at work that requires me to recruit patients for whom there are no more cancer treatments available. I will talk to them regularly, and then their cancers will win, and I will document death after death. When I have studies like this, it forces me to stay grounded and be positive and remember not to sweat the small stuff. The people I meet in this study will be a constant reminder to me of how fragile and fleeting life is. Resolution #3 = Be continually and verbally thankful (pray).

Community: Pay It Forward
This is the resolution I can't quite describe. Yet. I think I will know when to act as opportunities arise. This might take the form of volunteerism, or buying groceries for a stranger. Resolution #4 = At least quarterly, make a direct positive impact on the life of a stranger.

Cheers to 2016!