Resolutions: Do It For The Boar

1. We live in a fabulous melting pot of culture.  Who are the expats of the world to identify with?  In America, we watch televised celebrations from Australia to England.  Then we watch the ball drop in NYC.  But imagine being an Australian in New York.  It might be confusing, no?  

2. The American New Year can be an alcohol-induced mess hosted by Dick Clark - who forever fights aging with makeup, fluorescent lamps and cosmetic surgery.  Please don't let this be it for me.  I'd prefer to follow the summer solstice.  Observing the changes in sunlight and temperature seems like the way to go. 

3. When I belonged to the gym, I loathed early January because it was the time that all of the members, old and new, descended upon the gym with good intentions, only to fall out in the next few months.  Basically, everyone has experienced one or two resolutions that haven't stuck, and experienced the disappointment that comes with that.

4. There is a Chinese New Year, which is tied to the Chinese zodiac, which is separate altogether with Year of the Dragon, Tiger, Horse, etc.  I really enjoy studying the zodiac on the placemats of Chinese-American restaurants.  My birth year always seemed to fall on an unattractive animal, though: the boar. 

As a child, I would look at the tiger, the dragon, the horse.. and yearn for an animal so cool and revered.

Anyway - here are my resolutions, my Anytime Resolutions for the near future.  (I also have a Someday List, which includes bigger, more costly goals, which I can do in the far future.)  By making this public, I am putting some pressure on myself to realize these little aspirations.

1. Travel somewhere new every year.  Come hell or high water.

2. 2010 alcohol-free for as long as I can dig.  Just because.

Hmm. That's it for now.

By the way, as intimidating, prickly, and robust as the boar may be, it is still a living creature with a purpose.  Any animal that has survived evolution and our wars and climate change is obviously here for good.  Respect.  And I love the boar, as I love the horse, as I love the tiger, as I love the dragon.

I don't believe in New Year's resolutions just for the sake of the New Year.  Resolutions are personal goals that can be initiated anytime.  A good time to stop drinking is the day after you leave your cell phone/ wallet/ car keys in public place... for the 3rd time.  A good time to stop smoking cigarettes is when you find out you're having a baby.  A good time to leave your abusive lover is, well, the day you wake up.

Do it for me.

Do it for the boar.

(Image courtesy of the Educational Technology Clearinghouse.)