Of New Beginnings and Old Issues

January first.  Now is the winter of our discontent begun.  The first week of keeping all our good resolutions to eat less junk food, exercise more, and just basically do a lot of things that are good for us, but decrease our sense of enjoyment, perhaps.  Unless we go about it the right way. 
My big problem is going to be the lack of chocolate.  I love chocolate, and having to cut back to the recommended ounce or two only a day is going to be rough. 
Cutting down on the number of calories consumed is going to be tough, as I tend to use food as a comfort.  Tough day?  Have some pie.  Bored? Chips and salsa!
Exercise, well, it feels good once you get finished.  Getting started is HARD.  Also, sticking with it.

I have found that if I remind myself of all the good things that come with behaving myself as regards my diet and exercise, it is lots easier to stick to my resolutions. 
When I exercise, I feel better overall, I have a better outlook on life, I have more energy.  (That is, when I am not calling myself twenty kinds of a fool for making all my muscles ache from activity they are not used to. That's why God made aspirin, though.)
I also look a whole lot better when I stick with the diet and exercise.  My skin is clearer and less wrinkly, also my color is healthy instead of pallid.  My hair shines whether or not I remember the conditioner. Also, I can fit into smaller, nicer fitting clothes. 
Biggest bonus:  I do NOT look like I am almost 55 years old.  (At least, I don't THINK I do, and I've had several people act surprised when they find out my age.  Maybe they thought I was older though, so you never know...)

On the flip side, the resolutions that mean the most are the ones that improve our character.  Like vowing to be less selfish and more concerned with the needs of others.  World needs a WHOLE lot more of that.  If even a few of us manage to do better on that, this year will be a LOT better than the last.
A  promise to oneself to learn at least one new thing every month, or to read more, things that keep your mind active and expand your horizons,those are resolutions that will pay even bigger dividends to society as a whole than improving health and/or appearance will.
I made myself a promise that I would try to finish more of the books I am reading. I have a bad habit of having four or five non-fiction books going at once, and at least two novels.  Right now, I am reading "I'm Your Man" a biography of Leonard Cohen.  I am also reading a book called "Geek Girls Unite by Leslie Simon. I have one of the "Ghost" series by Carolyn G. Hart going, and a couple of books about drinks and drink mixing that I am reading off and on.  Gotta finish all that stuff, and see what else I can get read off of the huge backlog of stuff on my Nook and on the Kindle app.

I already made a dent in one of my long-held resolutions.  I got all of the physical books in the house cataloged.  Now I need to finish verifying which ebooks I own have made it into the catalog.  In physical books alone, there are over 1,000 items in that catalog. 
One book I did finish last year, and in fact read at least 3 times, is Ron Perlman's autobiography, Easy Street: The Hard Way.   I read it over and over not just because I am a fan, but because there is quite a bit there to digest.  He tells his story in his own language, without pretense, and without holding back difficult truths.  There is much in that book to make you think about how things work, not just in Hollywood, but in life.  So grateful that I CAN count him as someone who is a friend, not a really close friend, but certainly not a stranger.  Glad for the friends I have made because of him, and very glad to know that my estimation of his character was accurate.  He is down to earth, loyal, kind, and loving.  A VERY class act.  Also a very talented actor, as shown by the many diverse roles he has performed and won accolades and awards for.

The process of deciding what to strive for in the year ahead is tempered and influenced by all that came in the year that has just passed.  Since I read Easy Street this last year, it has influenced my resolve to be more genuine, more true to myself, in my dealings with others.  I have usually been pretty much "what you see is what you get", I am not much of a poser.  I have decided though, that I need to pay more attention to making my behavior match what I claim to believe.  Never easy, but a worthwhile pursuit for a Christian.  It is what we are supposed to do, after all, to act on the things Jesus taught, to avoid the pitfalls He warned against.  Few of us meet with much success in this, but the fact that we are trying, really trying, will make the whole world a better place.  (In keeping with that goal, I will try very hard here not to rant about those who invoke religion in the service of their own prejudice and bad behavior... wouldn't want to fall victim to the pitfall of being judgmental...)

Another resolution is to strive to put more effort into translating my love of my library and my work there into positive actions to benefit this community and my library.  My goal for this year at work plays into that, by helping make our customers more aware of the services we offer.  It's a difficult goal for me, using technology I haven't used in quite that way before, making short videos to play on our lobby TV.  My boss is very excited about it, and is a lot of help, so maybe, just maybe I'll be successful.  (All I can do is my very best.)

There you have it, a brand new calendar to fill up, and some of the same old issues following me around, along with a few new ways to challenge myself.  Bet you are paddling a similar canoe.  All I can tell you is, THIS year, I intend to make my paddle out of a better quality of attitude, and a firmer bit of resolve.  These goals are worthy, and important to more than just me.  Bet yours are, too.
Happy New Year, and good luck and perseverance to us all!!