My husband and grandson with the cake they made

When I asked my husband about whether he ever made New Year’s resolutions, he said, “Absolutely. I have one resolution, which is to never make any.”

I laughed and decided he had a point. Resolutions feel great at the time you’re making them, but they can be a lot tougher to keep. Life and our own foibles have a way of interfering.

But on these first days of 2024, I am thinking about the coming year and what I hope to accomplish. Who was it who said, “If you don’t know where you want to go, you definitely won’t get there”?

So, here are my handful of resolutions:

• Consistently show my love and appreciation for my amazing husband, my sons and their partners, my grandchildren, sisters, and friends
• Figure out what the heck my next writing project is and write it!
• Now that the holidays are past, get myself back on a regular writing schedule
• Be a source of encouragement and support for other writers, especially the creative writing student I’m mentoring
• Beat myself up less when I don’t accomplish what I’d like to
• Exercise regularly
• Contribute to causes I care deeply about
• Vote to preserve our democracy
• Do lots of laughing daily (Humor is healing)
• Practice kindness consistently

This isn’t a very long list, but if I can accomplish many or most of my handful of resolutions, I’ll feel I’m headed in a positive direction! I plan to take stock at the end of 2024 and assess what went well (and didn’t) in terms of my resolutions.

Meantime, I’d love to know about any resolutions you’ve made. And, if you think they’re a waste of time, I’d love to hear your thoughts about that as well!