THE
NEW MILLENNIUM
December 31, 2000
I’ve never been one to make
new year’s resolutions. I’m the sort of person
who breaks them before lunch on January 1. But it’s
a new year, a new millennium (really the new
millennium, all the hoopla of last year notwithstanding),
and there are things I’d really like to accomplish
in the coming year, so I’m gonna put them down.
Of course there was that little
diet thing I tried a few months ago, thinking that going
public with it would help keep me on track and...you
probably guessed...it didn’t. I did lose about 20-25
lbs, and have gained it all back. So frustrating.
But let’s give this new
year’s resolution thing a try.
1. Design a new look for Funny
The World.
I'll be working on that. I had hoped to have it
up by January 1, but that ain't gonna happen.
2. Work with Walt on our
finances
I’ve been very fortunate for the past 35
years that Walt has taken over handling our finances.
I’ve let him. Before we got married, I was terrible
about money, and it was very comforting to have someone
who would take care of it for me. But I’ve realized
that if he gets hit by a bus tomorrow, I’d be one of
those silly wives who haven’t a clue what we have or
how it’s organized. I’m a grown up now and
it’s time for me to take the responsibility to
inform myself about our finances.
3. Declutter
Yeah. Right. I can hear chortling all over the
globe. But I’m serious. Nowhere in my wildest dreams
do I imagine that I will ever get this house uncluttered.
If I live here to age 150, I will never have it
decluttered. We’re both "savers" and
"scavengers" and we both have problems throwing
stuff away. But even with that, there are some
things that can be tossed. It’s time to start going
through piles and deciding if I really am ever
going to look at, much less use such-and-such ever
again. If the answer is no, out it goes. I’ve
actually started doing that already, though even with the
sacks of stuff I’ve tossed, it’s still
impossible to see that I’ve done anything. But if I
give it a bit of time each week, I should be able to make
some sort of a dent in the next months.
4. Get Serious about
Writing
This journal has been a wonderful ego-booster
for me. I don’t have a huge list of readers, but
those I do have (about 60-100 of you) have been very
complimentary. A few entries have been won diarest
awards, which is a great affirmation that I can put words
to screen. I’ve been hired to write theatre reviews
and the feedback has been positive. I really want to try
to get serious about submitting things for publication somewhere.
I’m armed with "The Idiot’s Guide to
Publishing Magazine Articles" and advice from
friends and I’ve already made a start, submitting a
couple of short pieces. They’ve had initial positive
feedback, so hold he good thought. I want to do more of
that in the coming months.
5. Keep up with work
In the last few months, I've become an even worse
procrastinator than I have always been. I've put a big
push on in the last couple of days and am caught up,
finally. I'm going to work on keeping caught up.
6. Continue walking program
This means getting back on track again, walking
an hour at least three times a week (more if possible).
And also, along with that, forget the diet, but just
start eating more sensibly. I’ve shown I can do it.
Let me show it again.
7. Bite the Bullet
It's time for a full physical. I haven't had one since I
left work and I'm way overdue. I hate it that Kaiser
makes you stand on a scale in the middle of all the
activity and announces your weight to the world, but it's
time I do it anyway.
8. Especially for
Steve....de-dog the house
Oh, I don’t mean get rid of the dog (though
that is a tempting suggestion), but apparently my
olfactory senses are dead because I’m not aware that
the house smells of dog. Steve was the first to point it
out to me. I went and asked other friends, and they all
tell me that they’ve been uncomfortable letting me
know. Well...now I know. So it’s time to work on
getting rid of the dog odor. Of course I’m not sure
how I’ll know if it’s gone or not, but
I’ll do my best for ya, Steve.
9. Continue to let the
people I love know how much they are loved
It’s the thing I try to do all the time
anyway, but make a renewed effort to let people know that
no matter what happens in our lives, they are loved and
cared about.
Walt and I will spend New
Year’s Eve here in Davis with people we’ve
known the longest (hosted by the psychiatrist I work
for). It’s generally a low key evening, with music
and camaraderie, hot soup at midnight and then home
before 1 a.m.. January first will bring a new year open
for change, improvement, and following dreams.
At midnight, hold those you love
close in your heart and may all our dreams come true in
the year to come.
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