I do not make New Year's resolutions. I believe I mentioned that last year, right before I made a resolution which I shared with the entire cyberspace universe. Which turned out to be the proof for why I do not make New Year's resolutions, because inevitably, I did not keep it. So now I am sitting here with mud in my eye, or something like that, because I have made a liar out of myself in a public forum.
I don't want to talk about it. If you want to know that badly, you will have to go back in time and look for yourself. Meantime, I am going to maintain a wounded silence on the topic of New Year's resolutions, and move on.
But if I were going to talk about them, I have a few that other people might want to think about.
This past winter, as I looked outside at the piles of snow in amounts not seen in these parts for lo these many years, I seriously wondered when that whole global warming thing was going to kick in. I moved south because I wanted to be closer to the equator. Evidently I overshot my mark, because this past winter I enjoyed the kind of balmy weather usually experienced at the south pole.
Perhaps a resolution for the scientific community might be in order. I would resolve to keep a lid on it when you discover something new to talk about until the facts actually support your theory. An additional hint to the scientific community - choose the name of your movement wisely, because you never know when "Warming" will have to become "Change," as in the event, Mother Nature does the opposite of what you predicted. [Mother Nature is whimsical, and enjoys making fools out of humans. You forget that reality at your reputational peril.]
Weight loss is a favorite resolution target for many Americans. Since we are the most overweight population on earth, that only makes sense. But the American population is not the only thing in this country that is bloated. I think our Congress and President should make a resolution to treat the national budget like we do our personal budgets.
In other words, never spend another dime that is not paid for, don't outsource mandates to the states to cope with when you have no money to fund them yourself, reign in our national debt to manageable levels before we are financially bankrupt. [Oh wait. Too late for that one. Well, we need to emerge from bankruptcy and be more responsible, then, at the very least.]
Corporations are another entity that needs to look introspectively, and decide where their priorities lie. They tend to look for short term benefits at the expense of long term consequences. We are seeing the risks of this strategy play out in horrifying detail as we watch BP fight the consequences of poor planning and poor risk management in the Gulf of Mexico.
Although an oil spill is more dramatic than a few anonymous layoffs, I don't think it's too extravagant to point out that the short term benefit to stockholders has outweighed the long term impact on the public for a long time in lost jobs, lower tax revenue, minimized benefits, and higher stress on both the public and the private coffers, and spreading disenchantment with corporate America generally. For example, I would have to say that an oil giant who waits until well into the second month of a dreadful spill to "redouble" their efforts has probably not pursued the solutions as thoroughly to date as we would all wish, and one has to assume that there was some fiscal incentive to hold off as the driving force.
I think America's leading corporations need to resolve to put the public welfare on par with their own bottom line, and to pursue a course of action that benefits everyone, rather than benefiting their own stockholders at the expense of everyone else.
Complaining is the new great American past time. No matter how worthy the action, you can find someone to complain about it. I think we should resolve, as a country, to focus on what is positive at least as often as we complain about what is wrong. If we complain about teen crime, perhaps we need to compliment those teens who engage in community service. If we focus on government corruption, perhaps we need to laud those government employees who give selflessly of their time and talents to help others in need. If we talk about failing schools, perhaps we also need to look at the schools that are successful, and see whether there is anything to be learned from their success. The constant focus on the negative in our daily lives leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy, I believe, and the more we focus on the positives, the more likely we are to act positively.
As a general rule, I have noticed that dogs tend to be pretty happy in the moment. If you are feeding them, they are overjoyed, even if it's the same thing they've had twice a day for the last ten years. If you take them out, they are thrilled to distraction. When you let them back in, they act as though they haven't seen you in years. If you pick up a toy, they are ready for action, and when you sit down to read, they are dead asleep in ten seconds flat. Whatever they do, dogs do it with gusto and fervor, and throw their whole heart into the effort.
I think my mid-year resolution for this year is to be more like my dogs, more in the moment, more willing to enjoy what I have now, instead of worrying about what may come. I cannot control the future, it is going to happen, no matter how much I may worry about it. So I might as well enjoy today, as a girder for what will surely come tomorrow or the next day.
On this Memorial Day weekend, I am resolved to be thankful for the sacrifices willingly made by others, so that I can pursue my passions and interests in a country where we are free to criticize our government without fear, complain about anything we want, live wherever we choose, worship however we want to, and lead whatever life we feel is best for us and our families, no matter what anyone else thinks of it. It is one of the greatest gifts we have in this life, to pursue our own version of happiness and freedom without fear of reprisal from the government that is in control of our existence.
To paraphrase Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, "A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man dies but once." There is a lot of truth to that, and it takes a high toll on the nerves. I will resolve to focus on today, and let tomorrow take care of itself.
Thank you to the people who have given their all, so I can have all that really matters.
