I hereby resolve to...

I know New Year's resolutions are so cliche, but for the past few years, I have had a change in my thinking.

Always it was, "Lose weight", "Read the Bible everyday", "Go to the gym"... and I'd get bummed when I forgot about them by January 10th.

So I decided a couple of years ago, to take one thing, one seemingly small thing, that I had been vowing to change and finally just do it. I didn't have to make a daily commitment or change who I basically was, just one small thing I knew I either shouldn't or should be doing.

One year, it was to clean my wedding ring in the shower. I still do that.

Another year, it was to stop wearing cheap, ill-fitting clothes. I still do that.

One year, it was to get complete dressed before leaving my bedroom in the morning - including shoes. Last Friday was the first time I have gone back on that one.

A good one from a few years back was to do whatever would take less than 30 seconds right then. You know, switch laundry from the washer to the dryer, empty the dishwasher, fill the dog's bowl with water. I'm tempted to do it later, but come on... 30 seconds!?! It usually takes about 10 seconds. I can spare 10 seconds. I even set the timer on the microwave at the beginning to see if it truly fell under the 30 second rule. Then it felt like a race. Still do it.

The very first one I made in this new way of thinking was to use the restroom when the need first hit. I know, I know... TMI. But I was having a serious problem with waiting too long and then standing in front of the bathroom screaming at whoever had taken the spot. No more, thanks to my New Year's resolution.

See now, when I look at my ring or try on some clothes and I'm tempted to return to the old me, I think, nope I made a resolution. I wanted to change this about me for a reason.

So onto this year... My New Year's resolution this year is to enjoy my food. If you know me or have eaten with me, you know I gobble down my food (part of the 30 second thing I guess). The thing is, I LOVE eating. Heaven for me will be eating whatever I want and never getting full or gaining weight. But I recently realized I eat so fast, I don't enjoy the food - the taste, the texture, the various flavors.

So this year, I resolve to slow down. Enjoy this gift God has given us. Spend time with my food and the company around me.

What about you? Any New Year's resolutions? Any from the past that have been successful? Remember, the most important part about making a resolution is the recognition that you have something in your life that needs changing. Whether you actually make the change or not is secondary to the knowledge that the problem exists.

So think about it. Share it. Start small.