This is the time of year that people like to make New Year’s resolutions. Sometimes they keep their resolutions, and other times they don’t. Many years ago, I thought it might be prudent to not make any New Year resolutions.
This was more out of selfpreservation than anything else. I didn’t want to feel guilty for not keeping my promises to myself.
Over the years, however, I have found that not making resolutions is good for me. Instead, I deepen the commitment to do the things I’m interested in because I find working toward a goal is part of what keeps me happy.
Right now almost everything I ever wanted is taking a backseat to meeting the demands of daily life. Caring for children full-time can most certainly take a person’s head out of their future and away from their past, and it keeps them centered on the here and now.
I find this makes me happy too, but sometimes it can make me grumpy.
Children demand attention every second of the day, and they don’t care how you are feeling or what you need to get done. Their little catastrophes, hunger and other needs come first. Whenever I think I’m going to get a minute to sit down to rest, something or someone usually gets me back up again very shortly. It’s for the best though. By now I’m so used to this lifestyle that I think if I had more time to myself, I wouldn’t know what to do with it. And, of course, having children has altered some of my goals, or maybe a better way to describe it would be that with the limited time I have, I make myself get clearer about what I want, and I use my time more wisely.
It’s amazing what I can get done in short bursts of time. I write this column, I read books, I study photography and take some pictures, and I keep in touch with friends and family face-to-face and through the Internet. These simple things are what I strive for really: to become a better writer, to learn more about the world through books, to become a better photographer, and to create a loving community for my family.
Though I wish everything would happen faster, I have to remember that meeting my goals has never happened overnight. Even if I had all the time in the world, I couldn’t make any of this happen much faster. So as 2011 comes along, I’ll keep plodding along. I’ll burn lots of calories keeping up with the little ones, and I’ll do my own stuff whenever I can.
Nevertheless, it has crossed my mind to make one resolution this year. It’s something I know my husband would appreciate. I want to find some new, good recipes and the time to cook them…. Ah, but why start making resolutions now?
Shelli Bond Pabis is a Winder resident and columnist for the Barrow Journal. You can send comments about this column to shelli@mamaofletters.com.
