New Year's Resolutions

Last night I had hoped to write something profound for New Year's. But instead I relaxed and enjoyed family time. And maybe that should be my first resolution: to strive to balance work (even work that is fun, such as writing) with relaxation. So, here are my five resolutions for the New Year of 2006:

1. RELAX. Spend time just sitting around, conversing with family. And in the midst of stress, especially on the job, remember to relax by taking deep breaths. Perhaps between each customer, just take a deep breath or two.

2. EAT RIGHT. Back to the South Beach Diet. I might start with Phase Two. Is that cheating? I think Phase One might be too hard with the other stresses, and I think I can jump into Phase Two, because I've been there before so successfully. Lose twenty pounds...gradually, of course.

3. EXERCISE. Yes, walking from the car to the store, or across the store to check on whether or not something is on sale, or up and down the stairs of our home, are all forms of exercise and not a sedentary life. But who am I kidding? They do not constitute healthy, sustained weight-bearing (for osteoporosis) or cardiovascular (for heart health) exercise. Walk every day...on the treadmill or outside.

4. DECLUTTER HOUSE. As in, purge, purge, purge. Begin with papers, move up to books, and then on to the rest of the stuff.

5. CLEAN HOUSE on a regular basis. Scrub, dust, and vacuum all the main areas weekly.

Now, we all know that when we make too many resolutions, we don't necessarily keep them. So...although I should already be doing all of the above, I am going to focus on one per week, starting with number one. :) Ha, ha. How about that? My first resolution is to sit around and relax!