New Year's resolutions are old school

Each of us are like snow flakes; unique and different from each other.  So why should I care about more than 56 million New Year's resolutions in a Google search? As snowflakes, we may be different, but when we go in the same direction and band together, we can cause havoc, or we can create joy. Our world is only changed by large masses of people changing their behavior, and if we all change our behavior, we can move this messy world in the right direction.

I don't make New Year's resolutions, and make it a point of avoiding them. It seems strange to draw a line on the calendar, and one day say "this is okay", and the next day say "this is not okay". What has worked for me for the last couple of years is to just continuously change. This method of changing feels like the changes are small, even when they took lots of effort. As I implemented the changes, I would see and feel the impact not only on me, but on those around me.

One big change I made in February was to stop drinking alcohol. I was watching the first half of the Super Bowl at a bar in Garnersville, NY, and had my last beer at half time. I don't remember the exact reason, but some reasons that come to mind are: 1) my honey asked me if I could quit drinking for one month to see if it could bring my cholesterol number down, 2) I was having a hard time losing those last few pounds, 3) I wanted to show myself that alcohol didn't control me, and I was tired of the wasted time, and 4) I am obstinate, and decided I'd show everyone that alcohol means nothing to me. I haven't had a sip of booze since, and don't think this will change.

I don't miss alcohol. Parties are much different for me now. Being one of the few sober people at a party dampens the event, but the positive side is that I now am able to connect with people better than before. I was surprised to have someone I know come to me about a month ago and say they quit drinking after they saw the changes it made in my life. He was worried about having to explain it to friends over the Holidays. Isn't that a good worry to have?

In 2010 I became more careful about what I ate, and implemented a fitness lifestyle. In the last year, I lost about 10 pounds ( for a total of 25 if we back up to August 2009), 60 cholesterol points, 90 triglyceride points, and went from high blood pressure to normal blood pressure. My doctor is amazed, she has never seen a patient do this. Remember reason #4 for quitting alcohol - I am obstinate.

I bought a used reel mower on Craigslist, and sold my gas mower. I netted a couple hundred dollars. I got the idea because my next door neighbor uses one, and I saw how easy it was to cut the grass. Plus I can hear the birds while I mow the lawn, and talk to my neighbors. Of course the conversations with the neighbors are entertaining, some ask if my mower broke, offer theirs for me to borrow, or provide a sympathetic look when they see me walk off, pushing a mower instead of having it pull me. If I had a bigger lawn, I'd get a lawn mower bike. The neighbors are already used to seeing my winter bike commute.

We have rain barrels, but never got around to hooking them up in our last home. But I kept them anyway, and this year I set them up under the downspouts of our home. I rarely had to use the hose to water our new plantings around the yard. I plan on purchasing more of them, and really catch some water in 2011. You may think of water as a cheap resource, but maybe you should think again.

Some examples of spontaneous changes I've made over the last couple of decades are cutting the television connection, composting, cutting meat out of my diet, and putting the toilet seat down. None of the lasting changes I've made were from a New Year's resolution. They were all from the process of evaluating my life, and making changes accordingly. There's no time like right now to make a positive change in your life.

So as we leave 2010 behind, and roll into 2011, I have a few changes I want to make that I am willing to share. I will become more forgiving and less judgmental, not take it personally, and create more space in my life - and share that space with my honey. I will be a good steward for what is around me, and protect what needs protecting. I will invest more time in myself, and in my relationships with people. I haven't set a date for when to start each of these, I am confident that the right time to change will be apparent for each of these intentions, as well as the changes I don't even know I will be making yet.

How do my changes effect you? In previous posts to this blog, I would often pick a political topic and state my opinion related to it. We can all identify what we know is "right", but we might not all agree on what the definition of "right" is. I will refrain from this in future posts, instead focusing on topics that create positive energy for change. Of course I will still regale the rare readers with stories of my bike commutes, home improvement projects, and birding.

What about you? What changes have you made, or will make?