It's a New Year!

It is that time of year again when (almost) everyone decides to make New Year's resolutions.  I tend not to do that.  First, it requires a certain level of self-assessment that I prefer not to have.  Second, when I do (finally) notice something about myself that 'needs fixing', and I decide to fix it, I try to do it right away.  Granted, that doesn't happen nearly as often as it should.

Also, I am not big fan of setting myself up for failure.  Seriously, is that the way to start off a new year?

Instead, I prefer to focus on the positive.  I Googled "popular New Year's resolutions" for some ideas, and found a USA.gov site devoted to helping people find resources to achieve their goals.  There was a list of 13 popular resolutions.

Using that as a starting place, I have contemplated what each of these things means to me.  So, here goes...

• Drink Less Alcohol. I am pretty happy with my current consumption level.  Let's leave that one alone, shall we?
• Eat Healthy Food. I am all for eating healthy food, so long as it is balanced with an appropriate level of chocolate.  I am pretty sure I have found that balance, so I probably shouldn't mess with it.
• Get a Better Education.  While I enjoyed grad school, there isn't enough medication in the world that would get me to go back.  See Graduate Student Barbie for details.
• Get a Better Job.  I am pretty lucky here.  I kind of have my dream job.  Sure, I have days when it is tough to get out of bed, but it really is a pretty awesome gig.
• Get Fit.  I have been pretty good about going to the gym 2-3 times a week, so if I can keep that up, I will be happy.  If I could increase that, yippee!
• Lose Weight.  In my first year of marriage, I managed to put on 20 pounds.  Over the last 6 months I have taken it off.  If I can keep it off over the next year, that would be great.  If I could take off another 25, that would be divine.
• Manage Debt.  My debt level is actually pretty good.  However, if I don't get a little more rigorous with retirement savings, I may need to work until I'm 80.  OK, maybe there is a serious resolution there.
• Manage Stress.  If one defines 'manage stress' as not smacking anyone upside the head, no matter how much they deserve it, then I have managed my stress well.  If one defines it as not fantasizing about smacking anyone upside the head, then perhaps I could work on this one, too.
• Quit Smoking.  I had my last cigarette in 1993, the day I found out I was pregnant with Boo.  Resolving to not start smoking this year seems like a safe bet.
• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.  I recycle 100% of my beer bottles, and most everything else that I can, so I am pretty good here.  I could probably reuse some bottles as redneck candle holders, though.  That reduce thing probably isn't going to happen.
• Save Money.  Hey! I already covered this one!  Moving on...
• Take a Trip.  Is it inappropriate for me to fantasize that this one is a solo adventure?  Or maybe just me and a gal-pal?  Drinking frozen margaritas?  Being served by a pool-boy named Juan Carlos?
• Volunteer to Help Others.  Even I draw the line at being snarky about this one.

So there it is, in a nutshell.  My hopes and dreams for 2012.