I am a man of many lists. This habit was once of little interest and now I am consumed by lists. Nowadays I write at least one list a day. I find this linear organization of tasks or ideas keeps me both focused and productive. Aside from the satisfaction of writing more and more lists, the second best part is the crossing off. Sometimes I draw the line through a responsibility and the sense of completion overwhelms me, as I say to myself, “that need is definitively gone. Other times, while crossing off the words or phrase, I conjure up another, related need. And all of a sudden, the list nearing completion grows itself a tail. One list becomes another. And so on and so forth.
I know for fact that this tendency is not unique. Many people rely on lists to organize their work, their home duties, etc. And this week we celebrate the holiday that inspires the penultimate list. New Year’s is about the passing of one year and the birth of the next. Between this line of past and future we try to squeeze in some positive foresight and momentum. And thus, the New Year’s Resolution is born.
Some people despise the New Year’s resolution idea– the notion that one celebratory day can instigate the arrival of new habits or behaviors. The passing of the year brings no physical sensation, no added body growths or disappearing limbs. It is, if anything, another day of the week. A special day of course; a day to commemorate the end of a period – a 365-day time lapse that captured our dreams and miseries, our kind and evil acts. The idea that there is an opportunity to make amends with our old ways is both naive and deeply meaningful.
On Friday, the first day of 2010, I’ll join the throngs of those of want to change their ways. This year I will participate in the New Year’s Resolution writing process. To be honest, I have so many lists of ideas and desires, I don’t know where to begin. At least once a day for the last couple weeks, I find myself making a mental note of another resolution to remember. The question remains to be answered, does writing down the resolution ensure its completion? Well, probably not. A better question may be, does writing down the resolution ensure the possibility of change? Hmm…
No matter the cliche it’s safe to say, “only time will tell.”
Given this elongated introduction, let me try to share my list of resolutions. In no particular order, these are the hopes and goals for the new year ahead:
- Once a month mail my grandparents a package of baked goods
- A year from now I want to have a stockpile of canned goods, enough to prevent us from purchasing such goods at the grocery store
- A year from now I want to limit our consumption of dry goods to large bulk purchases (i.e. 10-25 pound bags of rice.)
- Once a month I want to prepare my wife a meal using a fancy cut of meat or fish (i.e. filet mignon or wild halibut)
- Commute strictly by bicycle in the Portland metro area this spring, summer and fall
- Teach the “health eating and meal planning” course every afternoon of the week at schools across Portland (this is more goal than resolution, and perhaps a tad unrealistic)
- Provide at least 5 menu consultations a month
- Every month but December (cause it’s so busy), I want to publish at least 20 posts a month
- Spend the month of January sugar-free, caffeine-free and alcohol-free (a cleanse of sorts)
As you can see, most of my goals are related to food – an experience that consumes me as much as I consume it. Will I commit to these goals? I hope so. Will I write about my ability to meet or fail these goals? I doubly hope so.
No matter, I look forward to the new year ahead.
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