Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Resolving to Change Your Resolutions

It’s coming on 2010 and for most of us, that means starting anew. Resolving to change some things in our life that aren’t working or attempting to start things that we’ve always wanted to try. In some ways, it can be an act of washing yourself clean. New year, new you. It makes sense that so many of us focus on our physical selves – exercising more, losing weight. But, what if we all resolved to focus on ourselves in relation to our community and the world? What if we took the time to take a moment away from what we look like in our clothing, or what size jeans we wore, and put our attention on the world around us? What possibilities would open up for us as a country? A world?

Certainly, I’m not suggesting that eating better, losing weight or fitting into that pair of jeans that have been gathering dust in your closet for the past 10 years is not a lofty and worthy goal. Everyone knows that losing weight leads to better health and an individual at their best is better for the world. I wonder however, what would happen if everyone added their own ‘community resolution’ in addition to whatever goal they’ve set for themselves. If one of us recycled more, if the other volunteered their time more, and another donated some items that they no longer needed – what would happen? Would community action become a habit – like going to the gym – or eating more vegetables?

Am I getting too lofty? Maybe. It’s just that working on “What You Can Do” has made me wonder why, every New Year’s I’ve been so focused on myself. I sit there each year, watching fireworks go off in countries around the world at midnight and yet, I still don’t connect myself with my outside community. It’s more like – let me eat that dessert now because come January 1st, there will be no more cake to be had! I guess what I’m saying is that this year, I resolve to think outside of myself more. I am not an island. So this January 31st, while I sit, eating my dessert in my stretchy pants, I will resolve to eat less cake AND be a part of my community.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

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