Resolutions and Illusions

I'm not big on the New Year's resolution. This is for a few reasons.

1.) The academic year feels like a much more natural demarcation of time to me as opposed to the calendar year.

2.) If there is something you want to change about your life, why does it need to wait until January 1st to happen? Can't you make an October 23rd resolution? However, if this deadline inspires you to be healthier/kinder/better then go for it. It just doesn't motivate me.

3.) There is nothing I need to improve (this statement is 100% false and I couldn't even type it with a straight face, but I felt like my list needed a number 3).

I keep getting asked what my resolution is though. So fine. Here.

I used to know things. I used to watch the news in the morning and learn about all the fake news in the world like celebrity weddings and balloon boys. I used to read CNN and learn about all the semi-fake news like sports and weather and dumb politicians. I used to listen to NPR in the car and get all my real news like revolutions and laws.

Since June 2011 , I pretty much know nothing. OK I take that back. I know A LOT about babies. Baby sleep patterns, sleep training options, cloth diapers, baby food, breastfeeding, baby milestones etc. etc. I give the illusion that I still know stuff. Just look at my bedside table.

 

Those would be three books on sleep patterns, three books on child development, one on lupus, and two Real Simple magazines.  So for me to say I'd like to read more as my New Year's resolution seems like crazy talk. However, it still stands. I'd like to read more. Specifically books that have nothing to do with babies and news so I can know stuff again.

The one and only non baby book I have read in the past six months was Making Toast. 

I heard about it on NPR a gazillion months ago - back when I knew things about stuff. I only read it now because my hold at the library expired and picking it up was easier than trying to renew the hold. I loved it, even though it made me ugly cry on my flight to NYC (read about that trip here). 

Instead of resolutions, I like to make goals for the year. They feel much more attainable instead of just being abstract about some ideas that you'd like to do. I guess if you listen to all the advice on rules to help you keep a resolution, this is one of them. Make it measurable. 'Save money' doesn't mean anything. 'Save $100 dollars a month' is something you can be accountable for. 

So, my goal in order to know stuff again, is to read one non baby related book every other month and to listen to NPR in the house once a week. Yeah, it's not very lofty. 6 books a year is pretty much a joke. But it is something that sounds manageable and now when people ask me what my resolution is, I can say read more. Children's books don't count...

Though, The Very Hungry Bunny is riveting.