Resolution Revolution

It's that time of year again, and I'd like to start out the ol' blog by wishing my friends a hearty Happy New Year. So many are trying to get published, and so many deserve it, let's hope to see a few dreams come true this year.

As for the other business at hand, tradition dictates that a resolution be made at the beginning of every year, preferably something that will improve one's life in some way. Soooo.... while I could easily throw out something that makes me look good (or not) that would have happened any way: I resolve to continue writing at any cost, love my children, become a bigger pain in the butt: those things don't count.

I've been thinking about making a goal to read 100 books during the course of the year, but I'm not sure if I could actually reach that goal without it cutting in my write time. I'm terribly obsessive about stupid things, like any time I 'resolve' to clean a particular room in my house and the absentee persons who keep stuff in said room aren't available to comment on whether their stuff is useless trash or terribly important and should not have gone to the dump... well, perhaps you see my meaning. If I were to resolve never to shower until after I've done my 30-minutes of exercise each day... ahem, (yeah, I've been there, too)... didn't last long.

If I make an impossible resolution, I'm sure to fail, and failure never made anyone feel better except if a valuable lesson is learned. And even then, you're not happy about failing. Lessons learned are like the booby prize, the 'I participated' certificate that they give all the 'losers' at the science fairs, and I'm not aiming for mediocrity, here. I've got my eye on the BIG banana, luscious and golden, just get me a ladder...

So, there is an art to making resolutions. It must be something worthwhile, or why bother. It must be attainable, or you're certain to fail. But it must also be HARD. Why? Because nothing gained without blood, sweat, and tears (or an equal amount of less-messy effort) can retain a significant value long enough to satisfy that horrible craving we have to be challenged.

Considering all this, I must be very careful in my wording of this year's resolution, most especially since I'm putting it out here for all the world to see. Here goes:

On this first day of January, in the year of our Lord 2010, I hereby resolve to read no less than fifty-two (52) new books that may or may not improve my mind. I resolve to finish at least one of my book projects and collect at least thirty rejections or one acceptance for my work. I resolve to have my entire house clean for at least one day (24 consecutive hours) during the course of the year. I will make each of my children something special for their birthdays. The rest is blah, blah... diet, exercise, play with friends, etc..

There it is, out in print so I can't change my mind. I will not come back and edit this post, though I may make derisive comments about it later. Cleaning the house may require duct tape, but I'll be sure to let you know.