January 4th, 2011

New Year’s Resolutions and Reverb 31

What central story is at the core of you, and how do you share it with the world? (www.reverb10.com)

I was right that Reverb kind of went beyond my energy for self-reflection–I’ve been dragging my feet on this last prompt and my resolutions. I think I give up on the prompt–stories have endings and I do not like to see things in my life as ending, just changing (or, even better, staying exactly the same for ever). I think I am in the middle of my story and therefore can’t really narrativize to accurately. Or at least, that’s my excuse.

Ok, resolutions–these aren’t too creative (see above self-reflection exhaustion) but I think they’ll do me.

Resolutions Everyone Makes

1. Eat healthfully. Duh. I don’t see a year coming when I think I could get away with constantly eating Menthos and Tostitos. Specifically, I’m doing another 2-week detox as of today, and unless this one goes way better than the last, thereafter junking the detox concept entirely. Following that, I’ll just try to eat like a normal healthy person.
2. Beyond the health factor, I’m going to especially try to learn some new recipes–I get into food ruts. I don’t actually think I can manage more than one new recipe per week…maybe not even that. Let’s say…3 a month.
3. Exercise. Again duh. The specific aspect of this one for now is that I’m going to try to swim more, something that I love and forget about for years at a time. This one is subject to reevaluation, because I don’t currently live near a pool, but post-move, I might. Let’s say again, 3 swims a month, maybe.
4. Eat KFC popcorn chicken. In high school, this was the holy grail of junk food, but I have shunned it for years, based on rumours and heresay and the strong social stigma attached to being seen in a KFC. But no more–sometime this summer, I shall consume the unhealthiest of all foods once more. But only once.
4. Move. This has been on my agenda before, but never so firmly. This time, with feeling: before April 1, I will live somewhere else. Moreover, I will pack up/purge my stuff, get the appropriate stuff to Goodwill, transfer the phone/hydro/internet/mail, hire movers, and whatever the other million moving things are–without having a meltdown or being a jerk to anyone. My previous moves have been so stressful that I have declined friendly helpers for fear that I would be mean to them–I really have to get past this.
5. Return emails promptly. If it’s just a question that needs an answer (that I know), in less than a day. If it’s a social, so-how’ve-you-been email, less than two weeks. Also, take better measures to remove self from mailing lists and filter spam–I imagine less nonsense email will help me answer those that actually matter in a more timely manner.
6. Floss. You are probably not still reading this, but I need to be reminded of flossing. I have permanent retainers, which make flossing an evil nightmare, but I am not magically exempt from gum disease. How about…at *least* every other night?
7. Help. I have been the beneficiary of lots of niceness in the literary community–people have made me feel welcome, offered me cool opportunities and the chance to sit at the table with the big kids. However, though I feel myself an eternal bug-eyed kid, I have in fact been around a while, and perhaps could help out others. As someone pointed out recently, I have a responsibility to try to perpetuate the open friendly writing community that I want to live in. I’m not really sure what form this could take, but I’m open to whatever opportunity knocks (and suggestions).
8. Give to charity. In case you were wondering, I did manage to make up for my charitable failure–the money eventually went to Pen Canada, which I’m happy about, and a few other worthies. This is actually most organized I’ve ever been about giving, so resolution #8 is just a reminder to keep it up.
9. Don’t do everything. I cannot attend a lot of the fun events I want to and I need to stop fretting about it. I don’t live in the heart of downtown, work a lot, commute a lot, etc.–no one minds the excuses except me. I’m sure no one 9well, very few) minds when I can’t make it out to things–I should just accept that and get some sleep.
10. Write a new book. Well, part of one, anyway.