So, 1st January 2016 came. I woke up feeling positively mediocre, which - based on the incredible party we went to the night before - was way beyond expectations.
At around 2pm, I battled the urge to crawl under the duvet and won; instead undertaking a protracted plod around Clapham Common.
By 7pm, the children were in bed and we were stuffing our face with a Turkish takeaway, whilst watching the pinnacle of food porn (Masterchef the Profs, obvs).
Then, on 2nd January, I woke up feeling slightly perplexed to be facing the day without some very expected things:
- the ubiquitous NYNY (New Year, New You) list;
- a slightly manic feeling that I needed to get cracking on everything on said list simultaneously;
- a single utterance of the word ‘resolution’.
Whilst I don’t for a minute believe that 2015 gifted me with some Zen-like ability to be at peace with my mind, body and/or the squeaky door knobs of the girls’ bedrooms; I do think it’s taught me some bloody good lessons:
- Being fit and healthy is the key to so, so, many things. I do more, sleep better and feel happier if I invest the time and effort to keep my body in good shape.
- Sugar and alcohol (particularly when served together in the form of chocolate and wine) will deprive me of sleep as much as a 4-week-old-baby (but I still occasionally overdose on both and probably always will).
- Patience is a virtue but it’s also something I don’t have much of. Thankfully, there are six other heavenly virtues for me to master- if I can crack Diligence and work on Humility, I might yet avoid the fiery Inferno.
- Plans don’t always go to plan. Whilst this can be terribly frustrating, every plan starts somewhere and that place must have been a pretty motivated one, given it gave me the desire and enthusiasm to progress in the first place. If things go awry, I can always go back to that very positive place and start a redraft.
- Being fit, healthy and having family and friends that offer caring words and caustic wit -in equal measure - make for a pretty contented life.
For me, I've realised that thinking about lessons from last year is a far more productive endeavour than resolving to do things next year. So that's what I'm doing.
I’m revolting against the resolution.
I’m saying bye bye to NY-NY.
And I’m hoping that, as this year - and the next - roll on, I learn lots from the lessons above. Having said that, at this point, I’m pretty chuffed that I have managed to capture them at all (...I’ve clearly got some distance to go in my quest for Humility!).
For everyone that has penned their annual resolutions, I really hope they come off. For those who haven’t, or don’t want to, why not do the same as me? Don’t be resolute about what you must do next, reflect on what you did last and learn from that instead!
