YIKES!

     I gave up making New Year’s resolutions years ago, about the same time as I stopped staying up to see the New Year in.  Both seemed a bit pointless.  I found it more enjoyable to greet the new year a few hours later when I was bright eyed and bushy tailed after a good night’s sleep.  As for the resolutions – invariably, within a few months I had broken whatever resolve I’d made.  Or worse, I’d forgotten what it was entirely.
     So, about twenty years ago, I decided to bag the resolutions and do a Letter of the Year.  This gives a wide range of possibilities, on both the positive and negative sides of the ledger.  For instance, for 2010 I wanted to work on flexibility, both mental and physical.  So I chose F as my Letter of the Year.  That choice allowed me to focus on all sorts of things:  friendships, firsts, flowers, follow-up, fun, fortitude… and on and on.
     It’s much easier to remember a letter and all its possibilities than to concentrate on a single resolution.  It also allows some room for examining those areas I wish to avoid.  Last year funk, fume, fray, fuddle, and friction were on the ‘to avoid’ side of things.
     I don’t choose my letters in alphabetical order, although that might be an interesting challenge.  And, so far, I’ve never chosen a vowel, though I don’t know why.  Also, I’m sure I’ve used the same letter more than once – but then I know lots of people who make the same resolution year after year, too.  My letter choices are based on not much of anything – mostly whim.
     My choice for Letter of the Year 2011 is P.  P for projects, perseverance, publication, posterity, positive, and (gulp!) maybe plastic surgery to take care of the new hole in my nose caused by a recent biopsy (results not in yet).  I’m not sure what P will represent on the balance side of the scales – maybe passive, petty, perfunctory, prosaic.
     Yes, P for possibilities!  I should be able to hang onto that thought for the year.  And, it’s just possible that I’ll persevere to see 2011 begin — pointless or not!