Posted by
AudiR10TDI on Wednesday, December 27, 2006 3:42:47 PM
December 27, 2006 -- Resolutions. What are you thinking about doing next year that will make a difference in your life? Last year I did two things and both worked out very well. This year I'm going to do them again.
The first one is that I joined a gym. I've never been able to make myself work out at all, in the (censored) number of years I have been alive. I skate for fun, I ride bikes with my grandson, and I walk because I can't drive; but exercise for the sake of fitness has always left me cold. But as one lives in a climate where doing things outdoors is not attractive (save for the weekly trip to the rink), I decided to join a gym next to my ofice and go for half an hour twice a week. The physical trainer looked shocked when I asked for a program that would take only half an hour, but I explained to her that exercise was boring, I was in no hurry to get a Bowflex Body at my age, and that it was a good thing to know one's limits. Each quarter this gym gives us an evalation to see how we do, which is a good time to change the exercise program to focus on another part of the body. Last quarter it was the legs, and i have strong, firm, flexible legs now that are a credit to a woman my age. Next quarter it will be the midsection. 8 minutes of treadmill, ten reps on each of four leg machines, ten pull-downs for the back and shoulders, and ten minutes of mat work, and then into my street clothes and home to sit in front of the computer and play pinball or work on my website or watch Mythbusters in the happy knowledge that I've done my exercise for the evening. And over the quarter it works out just fine.
The other was a variation on The Christmas Jar and is an interesting and enlightening experience for those of us living in cities at least. On January 1st I started keeping an eye out for the money people drop on the street, in the subway station, and along the halls of the office tower where I work. I dropped this change into a jar and watched it grow over the year just to see what I got. Twice I found subway tokens and put in the price of the token in place of the token itself. At the end of the year I had nearly $11.00 which I donated to the Salvation Army. This year I'm adding 15 cents a week that I save by buying my newspaper out of the box instead of at the news stand. That'll be another $8.00 a year. Think of it -- in two painless exercises I get nearly $20 to donoate to charity just from what other people throw away!
My new Resolution this year is to move into a comfortable apartment. I am tired of being crowded and without amenities and I'm going to be here for a few more years and I might as well be comfy if I can. That will mean rearranging the budget, but since I spend a lot of money on model cars and bagels, that money might just as well go into the bank for the apartment. Yes, it will cost a whole lot more. Yes, it will be worth it. And like the other two Resolutions, it's virtually painless and once I'm in it I won't back out.
What are your rseolutions this year? How did you do last year? And did you have any fun doing them? It's my opinion that resolutions that aren't any fun, or at least not inconvenient, are not going to be kept. So no resolutions about being nicer to people or considering the plight of the Single Mother, or marching against Global Warming. I'd rather get fresh air and exercise picking up change and enjoying my dishwasher will be worth the snacks I'm not eating from that inviduous machine on the 51st floor.
The new year is nearly here. What will you do in it to make yourself more comfortable when stared in the fact by 2008? Think about it and let me know.