Resolved: I will aspire!

At the New Year’s Eve party that my daughter Em gave for her friends, my son (age 12) was asked if he had any New Year’s resolutions.

He thought a moment and then said, “Yeah. Eat a high fiber diet!”

Wait a sec. Unless Pop Tarts are now considered a health food, I pretty much think he has no idea what he’s talking about.

Before I could open my mouth to comment on his response, he said, “Naaah. Just kidding! I don’t make resolutions–they never work out anyway.”

I guess he’s already figured out the futility of making empty promises once a year.

It’s the irony of resolutions: without resolve, they don’t work.

Several years ago, I came up with what I thought was the perfect resolution for myself:

I will stop procrastinating.

I realized that procrastination is the root of all my problems. Think about it: if I took that stitch in time in every area of my life, I would be caught up on all my laundry, have thank you notes mailed, bills paid, papers filed and house cleaned. Kids spit-shined, committees organized, gifts purchased, workout finished and dinner in the oven.

I guess I figured that eventually I would get around to keeping my resolution, but I’ve never really conquered that mighty foe.

Procrastination, you still haunt me.

So this year, I’ve decided not to make any resolutions. Instead, I will make Aspirations. And really, I am making only one:

When faced with a decision, I want to pick the nobler path.

Watch TV or read? Read.

Wash dishes or go to bed? Start the suds.

Hold a grudge or forgive? Forgive.

Eat salad or eat french fries? Oh Lord, I hope I can pick the greens.

To aspire is to hope and sometimes I have more hope than resolve. Hope that I can be the better self, choose the higher road and reach further than I thought I could.

Aspiration! I can get excited about that.

This could be a great year.