A resolution setback starts off the New Year
I’ve only made one New Year’s resolution this year. And I’ve
already broken it.
Like just about everyone else, I make New Year’s resolutions.
Out with the old, in with the new. The New Year is a chance for
renewal and contemplation, and an ideal time to make positive
changes.
A resolution setback starts off the New Year
I’ve only made one New Year’s resolution this year. And I’ve already broken it.
Like just about everyone else, I make New Year’s resolutions. Out with the old, in with the new. The New Year is a chance for renewal and contemplation, and an ideal time to make positive changes.
Many resolutions focus on losing weight and getting in shape – not surprising, considering that we’re all carrying around five or 10 pounds of holiday excess. Then there are other popular goals, such as becoming more organized, spending more time with family and friends, or quitting smoking.
The experts say you should keep your New Year’s resolutions simple and to the point, and not to set goals that are too difficult. So I thought I had the perfect idea for self-improvement, one that was not too taxing.
My resolution: to keep the dining room table clean.
You have to realize that this is easier said than done for me. My dining room table is, basically, my office. So at any given moment, the table is the bearer of bills (paid and unpaid), papers that need to be filed, assignments that need to be completed, work that is due today, next week and next month.
There are notices, notebooks, and odd items like needle and thread (I’m usually fixing something for someone), stamps, books, magazines, scissors, tape and dog biscuits. This past month, there have also been Christmas ornaments, wrapping paper, bows and sheets of those sticky gift tags.
This would all be fine if it actually was my office and I could close the door on the mess at the end of the day. Unfortunately, it isn’t. So there is usually a mess on the table that stays there for days.
The rest of the house is usually not too bad, but the table is pretty terrible.
So on New Year’s Eve, I decided to turn over a new leaf. I cleared everything off the dining room table. Some things were put away where they belonged; the piles of paper were transferred to another table, where (in a sub-resolution), they will be gone through, and filed or tossed.
It was a promise that seemed easy to keep. All I had to do was keep the dining room table clean. That should be easy, right?
Well, it was easy … at least, for the first few days.
It was looking pretty good until today. But today was the day I had to get back to work. And that’s when the trouble began.
I didn’t even realize what state the table had gotten into until I finished cooking dinner, turned around, and realized – there was nowhere to put the plates. The table had somehow filled up with stuff again.
I cleared some space so we could eat, and also realized how pathetic that was.
Right now there are CDs, a cell phone, a postal scale, a camera, a newspaper, printer cartridges (used), Christmas cards, a T-shirt with a picture of Chuck Norris, mints in a tiny tin that looks like a guitar, a grocery bag, books and an address book on the table, as well as my laptop and a Diet Dr. Pepper.
So much for my dream of a clean table.
But I will take a deep breath, and begin again.
Before I go to bed tonight, I’ll clear everything off, put things away and recycle the rest. Because this is my one and only resolution, and by gum, I’m going to keep it.
Besides that, it’s nice to actually be dining on the dining room table. Not working.
