No year resolutions

There is a backlash against the new year resolution industry. Enough people have shown that the hastily made resolution has virtually no chance of success. It is too easy to proclaim a plan of exercising more, drinking less, or not shooting backyard wildlife. If there is no true commitment, failure is certain. Especially when there is no follow up, either. Perhaps if people were called before Congress in mid-February to report on the success (or not) of their resolutions there might be more lasting results.

Instead we get drunk (and then resolve to drink less) before promising to exercise more (while downing a third slice of new year's cake) and digging through the hall closet for gun and ammo.

More and more people are mocking the resolution business. I might be right now, if you look closely. I've read of people poking fun and making promises to drink and eat more and exercise less. At least that way they'll meet with success. Other people refuse to make resolutions altogether. Whatever comes of their year will happen spontaneously. Which sounds like a perfect recipe for failure and/or disaster. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

I just realized I've always hated that saying.

I don't resolve to do anything for this newly arrived new year. I have plans to do some running. I'd also like to avoid as much work as possible, so resolving to run could be problematic if I decide that running is adding to my workload. I could make a new year's resolution to survive the next twelve months, but that is not entirely within my control. Accidents happen, after all, and sometimes backyard neighbors are aiming at a crow or squirrel and mistakenly shoot someone.

That someone could be me. And just think: if I had a job I'd be there instead of at home getting peppered with buckshot by the guy next door. I should resolve to move to a safer neighborhood, but that would be like a dog chasing its own tail. A neverending quest for satisfaction.

There is no such thing as "safety." It is a cruel and random universe, which is probably why new year's resolutions fail. Let this be the beginning of the "no year resolution."

Just say no. But don't resolve to say no.