ARE YOU SICK AND TIRED OF NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS?

HAPPY 2012.  Hopefully, you are all safe and sound and not terribly hungover. Unless you live in a cave without tv or internet access, you have been bombarded in the last few days with reminders about New Year's resolutions. Most of the related news segments have to do with diet and exercise. I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of linking the start of a bright, fresh new year with this emotional badgering. I know I should exercise more often. I know that it would be wonderful for me to eliminate all fats, and sugars and starches from my diet. Is there really anyone who doesn't know these things? So, I would like to propose a change. This year, I am going to substitute EIGHT new R-words for my resolutions. Here's my new list:

REJUVENATE-- NEW YEAR/NEW YOU.... I have written, in an earlier post, about my love of new beginnings: the start of the school year, the High Holydays, and now the beginning of another year on the secular calendar. How lucky we are to have all of these opportunities for renewal. Think of the new year as a blank canvas. What would you like to write, paint, create on this new clean space? The opportunities are endless. Each day is yours to make of it what you will.

REPAIR--Find something broken and fix it. The world is imperfect, and so are we. Start small. Start literal. I have home repairs that need to be addressed: paint that needs to be retouched, carpets that need to be cleaned, a bench that needs to be rebuilt. Then, moving beyond the literal, there are parts of me that could stand improvement. There are things I'd like to be better at. We all have those things that we would like to tweak or change about ourselves. Pick one and repair it. Finally, move beyond yourself and look around. What is broken that you could fix? Maybe this is the year to tackle that social problem that you have always noticed but never addressed. Would you like to make your workplace or neighborhood greener? Do you have a lonely neighbor whom you could befriend? Is 2012 the year you adopt a pet from the local shelter or volunteer hours in a political campaign or find a non-profit that needs your specific talents? The possibilities are endless.

RESTORE--Reinstate something that you have lost. Did you love to dance as a child but gave it up as you became inundated with more "grown-up" pursuits? You can restore something as simple as a favorite food from your childhood. Did you love peanut butter and banana sandwiches or   Rocket Bars from the ice cream truck? I used to love melting cheddar cheese in the microwave and dipping toast into it. When I make that decadent but simple snack now, I am immediately transported to my parent's kitchen and my adolescent self. Find something you used to love and bring it back to your life this year.

RESEARCH-- Pursue knowledge. We learn--we grow. That is the simplest secret to a good life. What are you curious about? What would you like to become an expert at? There are brand new biographies of Van Gogh and Kennedy waiting for you to pick them up or download them on your Kindle. Is 2012 the year that you will finally learn Italian or how to make beignets or how to ski? Because I am a bibliophile, I turn to books first when I want to learn a new skill. That is why cookbooks and craft books jockey for space with all my novels and memoirs. I am inspired by learning how people do things, and even if I do not follow their directions/recipes to the letter, I am still enhancing my skills as a cook or crafter. If you would like to learn about the world through stories, I have a recommendation. I recently finished Chris Cleave's beautiful and haunting novel, Little Bee. If you have not already read it, make it your first novel of 2012!

RESPOND-- React to the world around you. Be a participant not just an observer. Be reachable. Be touchable. Be involved. When people are kind, show your gratitude. Smile at strangers. Hold the door for the person coming up behind you. Laugh when life is funny and cry when life is sad.

REVEAL--Take off your mask and reveal the real you. We all wear masks. We all present a prettified or self-protective face to the world. But sometimes, we need to get real. Sometimes, we need to take a risk and be vulnerable. Years ago, when my life was fractured and complicated, I said to someone, "I just want my outsides and my insides to match." Now that they do match, I take great joy in sharing the real me with the people I care about. Trust yourself and know that you are enough. Share a portion of the unadorned version of yourself with the world.

RETREAT-- I crave solitude. I love people, but my soul is recharged with serenity. Even if you are an extrovert, there are benefits to retreating from the world and creating a calm, safe space where you can recharge your batteries. Even our cell phones cannot listen or talk all day without being recharged. We too need to find time to retreat from the world in small doses so that we can be fully engaged and present when we are with people.

Finally... REVEL.  Like puppies, we need to roll around in life and revel in the way it feels. We need to celebrate and enjoy and savor every moment. We need to notice and relish each breath, each taste, each second. My father is a wonderful reveler. He can celebrate the juiciness of a  fresh summer peach as if it were one of the crown jewels. On a great day in my classroom, I can revel in the fact that we are all learning together and marveling at the beauty and intricacy of the English language. Each day has a party hidden somewhere inside it. Find the joy!

Bye bye RESOLUTIONS.  In 2012, I will REJUVENATE, REPAIR, RESTORE, RESEARCH, RESPOND, REVEAL, RETREAT and REVEL.  Want to join me????