Words + Dreams

New Year’s Resolutions

The years are spinning faster than the numbers on a roulette wheel

2025. Can you believe that it’s been an entire year since you broke your 2024 New Year’s Resolutions? Well, it’s time for new ones. Can you say yippee?     

People are creatures of habit and so, just like so many years past, many of you probably made brand-spanking-new, New Year’s Resolutions for this year.  We make those resolutions for many reasons, some for no other purpose than to at least feel good until we break them.  And let’s face it, we do need any reason we can get to feel good.

So what are your resolutions?  Did you resolve to lose weight? Snicker. Love your neighbor? Snicker. Walk 15 miles a day? Snicker, snicker. Well I hope you keep them but just in case you don’t (or already haven’t) I’m proposing a few resolutions that you can use to replace your extremely difficult ones.

Easy New Year’s resolutions (mostly) worth keeping

1. Okay, we’re talked about this lights thing for many years. Remember all those burning lights running up power bills? Hmmm? (okay, this is a personal issue coming from a parent of kids who haven’t yet realized that a light switch works both ways)

2. Become a vegetarian (seriously, think about it). But if not that, at least consider eating slightly healthier food (why get carried away, right?). But personally, from a guy who has been a vegetarian for a few years now, it’s not that hard. It can be healthy (you can’t just eat sugar), and it causes less pain…

3. Drink plenty of fluids – of one sort or another. Do I need to spell this out? Thought not

4. Get better at your job – whatever that job happens to be. Or, get better at searching for a job. Just never stop

5. Be cool (yes, you can be cool past 19. It’s not easy, but it’s possible)

6. Yes, it is

7. Go somewhere

8. Do something (yes, I know this is vague so it ought to be easy)

9. Watch TV

10. Don’t watch TV

11. Read the newspaper

12. Or a magazine, book, whatever

13. Be grouchy

14. Be grouchy some more

15. Eat breakfast

16. Eat less lunch

17. Eat less dinner

18. Do not confuse any of the meals above with eating hot dogs in movie theatres. That just doesn’t count. Ever.

19. Kiss someone (ask first!)

20. Kiss someone again

21. Kiss someone you know this time (see # 19 above)

22. Be nice before noon (it shouldn’t be that difficult if you try hard enough)

23.  Take a vacation

24. Pay for the vacation (yes, this is harder)

25. Let someone else pay for the vacation (see time-share promotions)

26. Take another breath. I know you don’t need to be reminded of this, but I have a few friends…

27. Smile at someone who doesn’t expect it (oh, go ahead, just mess with them)

28. Frown at someone who doesn’t expect it (unless they’re big, have lots of tattoos, wear chains around the neck and drive a Harley. In that case, frown at your own risk)

29. Make sure your health insurance is paid up (see number 28 above)

30. Pay the electric bill early (Gotcha!  Just seeing if you were still awake.  Ignore this one)

31. Go somewhere that’s not in a travel brochure and spend time there. Meet people

32. Help someone find something

33. Stay in bed longer

34. Ignore the laundry

35. Ignore someone

36. Or perhaps, don’t ignore anyone. Wouldn’t that be nice…

37. Realize that every vote really does matter

38.  Demand peace worldwide

39. Work for peace worldwide

40. Strive for peace worldwide

41. Decide to do something you’ve never done before (vote!)

42. Decide to actually have fun while doing number 41 above

43. Be nice to your boss

44. Be nice to your employees

45. Be nice to yourself

46. Just…be nice

47. Don’t let the word “election” scare you

48. Be glad you’re alive

49. Be glad someone else is alive

50. Go back to school. Strive to keep yourself up to date and relevant for jobs and the job market

51. Get in touch with someone you haven’t spoken to in a while. Stay in touch. Those phone calls telling you of someone’s passing come too soon, too often.

52. See what’s out there in this great big world – and enjoy it

Okay, there you have 52 New Year’s Resolutions that might (or might not) add to your quality of life. And let me add one more: To do everything possible to keep guns out of schools. That’s one of my favorites. Care to join me in that one?

Happy 2025!  I hope that the coming year is great beyond measure.