Resolve to....

Blood work ... back in the day that meant we were building a higher ramp to jump our bikes off of,... today (at middle age) it just means that your doctor is going to have hurtful things to say about your eating habits.

Lucky me, I had mine done right before the turn of the calendar and just in time to make a NEW New Years Resolution. Over the past decade I have pretty much given up on the tradition of making and then breaking of a resolution. I just resolved myself to the fact that I had little will-power to carry out whatever I had set before me as a personal challenge. Some years the resolution lasted for months, other years,.... days,... and yes, there were those years,... just to the end of my fleeting thought of a resolution.

I found that if I didn't resolve to make myself a better person and it just happened, then bonus for me and society. However, once the pledge was out there for just one other person to hear, the resolution became a one way street to disappointment. I was doomed - DOOMED!!

They say you should tell other people what you have chosen to change about yourself in order to gain support and help you to succeed. I say this works if the other person is a complete stranger who could care less - point in case,... a toll booth operator. These people are to resolution makers, what drive through windows have become for fast food - like 'fast food' confessional booth, you just roll on up, pay your tool, and,.. "I resolved to cut down on speeding through the I-Pass lanes to see if they'll actually send me a ticket!!" The professional toll-booth operator won't even flinch an eyelash as they change the red traffic signal to green and give you the go ahead on the rest of your day, the rest of your life. They won't even bring up the topic with you again. There's no judgment, no disappointment if you happen to slip, no expectations what so ever.

Now tell this same thing to a close friend and you've just bought yourself the monthly conversation of, "Well, how's the I-Pass resolution going? Oh,... that's a shame,... I thought this was the one resolution you could actually attain in your life. Especially when you consider the lack of actual time you spend on the tollways."

Now I realize by putting out there the fact that I had blood work leads some to guess what I might be resolving to do this year, but the facts are these: We are four days into the twenty-ten year and the results of my resolve can't be seen yet. Check back with me in another 185 days. That will give me time to think of reasons as to my short coming and may even lead to your new position as a toll-booth operator,... just hitting the button and giving me the green light go-a-head.