A dozen promises



Happy New Year, everyone! Yes, I know we're almost a month into 2003 but to me, the year has just begun. There was a month there over the holidays when I walked around in a daze, propelled only by pure adrenaline and a combination of antihistamines, antibiotics, and ibuprofen. I survived the hectic holiday season in a medicated stupor.

Needless to say, I had to put a lot of things on hold. That included coming up with a list of New Year's resolutions. I guess I could look at it positively. After all, I will only have eleven months instead of twelve to have to actually act on my resolutions.

Before I list them, I must say that I believe the most effective way of getting people to make good on their promises is to get them to announce their resolutions publicly. That way, they can be called to account for them at the end of the year. If a sense of responsibility doesn't move them to keep their promises, perhaps a fear of public humiliation will. (Of course, this may not apply to politicians who are neither responsible nor thin-skinned.)

So, at the risk of shaming myself at the end of the year, I am publicly sharing my list of resolutions for 2003:

1. I will read more -- books, magazines, newspapers, the fine print in contracts, prescription medication directions and contraindications, freeway signs (so I don't keep missing turns and exits). The only thing I will read less of is junk e-mail. For that, see the next resolution.

2. I will automatically delete more junk e-mail and unsubscribe myself to as many commercial mailing sites as I can. I figure that by doing this, I will save myself dozens of online hours a year, which would be better spent reading (see above) or writing (see below).

3. I will write more -- articles, personal letters, diary entries, phone numbers and addresses of friends (whom I keep bothering every year when it comes time again to invite them to parties).

4. I will not forward any chain e-mail, no matter how heart-wrenching the story is or how worthy the cause might seem (you know, the little girl with cancer who raises a nickel for cancer research every time the mail is forwarded to one address; the prayer for world peace promising that its attainment gets nearer for every forwarded mail; the promise of good fortune if you forward a message to ten other people). I especially will refuse to forward any mail that threatens me with bad luck or misery if I fail to forward it. Most of these chain letters have been proven to be hoaxes.

5. In connection with the previous resolution, I promise to be more careful and more selective in the e-mail that I do forward to friends -- including jokes, anecdotes, and heart-warming stories. I will take care to avoid disseminating anything that promotes hate of race, religion, or sexual orientation.

6. I will exercise more. Ooops. I mean, I will exercise, period. I haven't really exercised in the last fifteen years and the aches and pains in my joints are telling me I ought to get started.

7. I will try to appreciate nature more. By this, I mean actually going outdoors and touching nature -- the redwoods, the sea, snow, the grass in the park across the street from our home, my backyard -- rather than just watching nature shows on public television and the Discovery Channel.

8. I will try to learn more about sports. I've never been athletic, not even a sports spectator. The only sports I enjoy watching on TV are figure skating and gymnastics. But this year, I will actually try to learn about sports that use balls -- baseball, football, basketball, and golf. I will try to learn the rules of these games and maybe even learn who their great players are.

9. I will try to take up more creative projects. I will try to do some painting (both on canvas and on the walls of our home, which badly needs an interior makeover) and some crafting, perhaps some sewing.

10. I will try to pursue hobbies that I have always dreamed of doing but have put off for years, using the age-old excuse "I just don't have time." This includes singing and guitar playing. I have enrolled in a voice class and a guitar class but am not sure I can actually stick with them through the end of the semester. Declaring it publicly might help.

11. I will try my best to share what I have -- whether that be skills, talent, or material things -- with the less fortunate. This might be the most important thing I can teach my daughter -- that it is better to give than to receive. This is not as selfless as it may sound. I have seen people who have less than what I have and yet have given -- to my embarrassment -- more than I have. They seem much happier and more content than I am. I want the same kind of happiness and contentment one gets from giving.

12. Lastly, I will spend more time with my daughter doing the things we both enjoy doing -- reading, writing, singing, painting, and playing. She is the reason I want to improve myself as a human being. In the end, she -- and not fear of public humiliation -- will be my greatest motivation in keeping my promises.

(Romina Saha is a full-time mom, freelance writer and copy editor based in San Jose, California. She may be reached at ConnectionsRS@aol.com.)