I’ve never been a big adherent to the idea of New Years resolutions. They always seemed a bit arbitrary in their timing, and, perhaps because so, more susceptible to failure. For years, therefore, I’ve not taken part in the ritual.
This is the first year with Jack in our lives, though, and I turn 50 on the 11th of this month.
One is a significant development while the other is a mere vagary of the continuation of calendars. Just the same, half a century isn’t anything to sneeze at.
I’m not going to engage in an extended period of navel-gazing regarding the whole turning 50 thing. My personal “turning 50” goal (not necessarily a resolution) is going to be getting healthier. Having Jack around has forced me into getting more exercise than this lazy old soul is used to. The journey to normalizing Jack’s sleep schedule is also supposed to be a journey to normalize mine–a schedule that hasn’t been what could be considered normal in a long time. I’m also trying to eat a little better. I’ve been cutting out a lot of fried foods. Oh, I still indulge every now and then, but it’s not a go-to sort of thing anymore.
I’ve even been observed eating salad from time to time. Not good salad, mind you, but still technically salad.
So proper food, proper sleep, more exercise. Not so much resolutions as they are gradual lifestyle changes–changes inevitable, really, for any new father.
I could wholesomely exclaim right here and now that “In 2017, I will be an awesome dad!”, but that’s kind of cheating. I already do everything I can to be an awesome dad. I’d be trying to do that whether it was a new year or not.
There are goals for the new year, surely…personal ones, professional ones, and so forth. I’m not going to share those right now other than to say that I’d like to see DearJackrabbit.com get some wider exposure online. I have a lot of friends and relatives who read this and I’m forever grateful. I’d also like complete strangers to find this site.
Spread the word and all that.
Finally, as a general goal–resolution if you’d like–we, that is both Margaret and I, intend to go through some major decluttering/purging. We have a small house, but it’s not that small. People who study these sort of things would say that we are among the majority of people who do not utilize their living spaces to their utmost.
We both tend to hold on to things long after we need them: books and magazines that will never again be read or even looked at, old clothes that will never be worn again (nor should!), computer media and accessories for computers that haven’t existed or worked in years, old videotapes (who even has a VCR anymore?), old Xmas lights that don’t work, piles of power adapters to devices that may not have ever existed to begin with, and just years of… stuff.
So, yeah… big purge coming up. If I can get rid of the equivalent of two contractor bags per week (not all for the trash–some will go to charities), then I think we’ll have a lot more room a year from now, and a lot more room for Jack to fill with his stuff.
And maybe we can get some room free down in the basement so I can reclaim my office/studio space and have room to address some plumbing and pipe issues.
But that’s for another day.
This year we’re approaching resolutions not just for ourselves, but to make our home a better one for Jack, so… no pressure or anything.
Happy 2017 everyone. Good luck!
–John
