DITCHING NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS?

     Do you know that there's a specific day for ditching any New Year's Resolutions you might have made on January 1st?   Yep, that's right.
     It's always January 17th!
     There's a sign-up sheet on the table in our Processing Room where staff members can write down a New Year's Resolution they've made, or a couple of them, if they want.  They've been asked to share their resolutions in order to help the rest of us know we're not alone with this resolution thing!  And that we are all there to encourage each other throughout the year.
     One person wrote down they are going to "run a half-marathon by December 31, 2013."  Another person said they are going to "(1) read daily devotions" and "(2) be a better me."  A third person said they are going to "(1) take an inspirational Artist Date every other week" and "(2) smile more."
     Now, those don't sound too hard to do.  But we've all heard on the news lately that most everyone who makes a resolution on January 1st breaks it about the second week in February...and probably never thinks of it thereafter.
     Some people think that for many of us, New Year's resolutions hang heavily over our heads and become a burden, and perhaps they weren't such a good idea after all.
     But some of us have decided to give it another try.
     Lots of people will be working on losing weight.  Lots of people will be working on exercising more.  Lots of people will be trying to give up smoking.
     I've decided I'm going to eat more of my healthy food and less of my "fat" food.  I'm going to take more ten-minute intervals and walk at least 30 minutes a day.  I'm going to be more positive and less negative.  I'm going to smile more.  Yes, I'm that third person you read about above.
     My Artist Dates will be solo events where I take myself some place that will inspire me to continue writing and drawing and enjoying life.  A special time just for me.
     I'm also going to post above my computer, right in a straight line in front of my face, a sign that says, "Remember: going too fast only creates mistakes."  If I remember to slow down just a little, then maybe I'll remember to breathe, and by breathing better I'll remember to smile more.  And, hopefully, make less mistakes and also find that people are smiling more back at me.
     Well, I think that's worth working on.  So, wish me luck.
     I don't feel like I'm going to renig on January 17th and give up my resolutions.  Maybe I should make that a resolution also...don't give up!!!
     I want to encourage you not to give up also, especially if you made a few New Year's Resolutions. But if you get discouraged and feel you just cannot keep one, or two, or whatever, then remember that January 17th is on a Thursday.
     If you're local, somewhere in the Moultrie, Georgia area, stop by our library for encouragement.  We will be holding a Health and Wellness Fair that day in our library.  There will be providers here to encourage you with your weight, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), nutrition, posture, and lots more.  The time will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
     Believe me, we can really make you feel better about keeping those resolutions!!!

What about those resolutions?

     Did I ask you earlier if you made any new year's resolutions?  Well, I did.  But I'm wondering if I should have.  I mean, after all, aren't they made to be broken?  (Someone said that to me one time.)
     I have considered some things that I'd really like to have as resolutions.
     For instance, I would like to resolve to read more classics this year.  I've read Gone with the Wind and The Lord of the Rings.  We had to read War and Peace in school.  But I haven't read Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe.  So, maybe that should be one of my classics to read this year.  I must admit I tried to read Deliverance by James Dickey, but just could not finish it.  Maybe something else by Mr. Dickey would be more interesting to me.
     Another resolution I've considered is reading more non-fiction books.  For the past few years, I've been hung up on these fun little cozy mysteries.  In previous years I enjoyed biographies of famous people.  But I think it's time for me to get serious this year about a few non-fiction books.  And just thinking about that makes me curious as to what I might find here at our library.
     I've also resolved to clean out my bookcases at home.  Do you have books that you're holding onto for some reason...don't know the reason, but just keeping them?  Well, why not find another home for those books, so they can enrich some other person's life?  If they're in good condition, clean, no torn pages, etc., consider passing them on to the library.  If they're in poor condition, find another home for them or trash them.  But move them along.  You'd be surprised how much room in your bookshelves you can open up for other great books to read (then pass on also).
     My best resolution for 2011 is this...life is too short; read all you can as fast as you can and enjoy a good book!!!
     By the way, we've got plenty of them here at our library.
    

Yep, It's A New Beginning...

...and I said I wasn't going to do the New Year's resolution thing this year, but here I am considering what I should make as one big goal for 2010.
In order to build up my confidence, I decided to check with the rest of the library staff to see if they each had one goal this year. Here's what I found. They want to...
* Quit smoking
* Take care of "me"
* Finish college
* Help others more
* Get organized (two said this)
* Travel more
* Get out more (which is different than traveling)
* Not sweat the small stuff and stress out
* Get to work on time, and
* Be a better "me" (two said this one also).
During my vacation at Christmas time, I found a survey that gave the "top 10 New Year's resolutions" across the United States. They are to...
1. Spend more time with family and friends
2. Fit in fitness
3. Tame the bulge
4. Quit smoking
5. Enjoy life more
6. Quit drinking
7. Get out of debt
8. Learn something new
9. Help others, and
10. Get organized.
It seems most of us have the same intentions. We're thinking of ways to improve ourselves, and we're looking for ways to help
others.
Well, that brought the whole subject right back to me. Am I going to do a major resolution for 2010, or just forget it all? With so many friends having at least one resolution, I knew I'd feel guilty if I didn't have just one.
Since I'm always fighting the weight thing and it's always on my list of "to-do's" no matter what, I am going to join those friends who will work "to be a better me." That includes not only my weight, but my attempts to help others more. As one staff member said, "I want to be more compassionate and kind to others, I want to listen more instead of talk, and I want to be a better me." Can't beat that, can you?
So, it's definitely a new beginning. I hope you've decided upon one new year's resolution for 2010. It shouldn't be too hard to make just one work. Not if you put your all your energy into it. After all, one has to be much easier than ten.
Good luck!