Ahhh… New Year’s resolutions. Time to mean well and do poorly. Then shrug and rationalize, “There’s always next year…” But what is really reflected in folks’ New Year’s resolutions is not what their makers expect to accomplish…
I don’t really believe in New Year’s Resolutions. They’ve always been a matter of well-meaning but ultimately failing promises to one’s self to ‘do better’ in the coming than on various issues. And often the most tumultuous changes in one’s live come as a surprise – even to those experiencing them…
My 2024 epiphany
I look back on the year just ending and say, “Who knew I would all but totally quit drinking totally in 2024?”
I ended 2023 doing what I had for the past several years – having a glass of wine when the day’s la-bours were done, and other with supper. (Then no fluids after 7 pm to ensure I’d sleep through the night without having to get up too many times to go to the bathroom.)
But on my birthday (in early January), when Erin and I popped some bubbly to celebrate, I was put abruptly in mind of a quote about drinking from the first James Bond Book, Casino Royale (1953): “This champagne tastes bitter. The first glass too many always does!” Not that we were drinking a brand that was new to us. Nothing else about our little celebration was out of the ordinary, either. It just tasted… different.
And I decided then and there I’d had it with booze. After that, I’ve tested my resolve, and my ‘position on alcohol’ a few times, to see if it changed at all through the year. I’ve had a single glass of wine each time – no more occasions in total than I could count on the fingers of one hand. And it still tasted bitter, metallic, unexciting. Disappointing.
Alas, not a resolution…
Quitting drinking was the farthest thing in my mind from a resolution last year at this time. And a couple of habits I did (privately) resolve to change, I have not.
I’ve come to the conclusion that New Year’s resolutions represent goals that are important to us. But are as tough to reach as they are important. Which is to say, declaring them publicly is more of a cry for help than a pledge to carry through on them.
With that said…
I’ve dissected the annual Statista survey of New Year’s Resolutions – and come up with some in-teresting revelations…
Key findings
As the survey (charted above) underlines:
- Almost half of Americans surveyed say they won’t bother making resolutions at all this year.
But those who will make resolutions include one or more of the following in their lists:
- Eat Healthier (19%)
- Exercise more (17%)
- Lose weight (15%)
And related resolutions include:
- Quit smoking (9%)
- Reduce spending on living expenses (e.g. food and energy) (9%)
My take
John Lennon famously observed, “Life is what happens while you’re making other plans.” Or making plans to keep resolutions you probably won’t keep.
Meanwhile… I’ve saved quite a pile of cash by quitting my daily two-glass habit. Quick calculations reveal I’ve liberated as much as $200 per month which I never questioned spending, just took for granted before. That’s been a welcome addition to our food budget.
And it just happened. As if its time had come.
This is nothing new. In fact it’s enshrined in the first 8 verses of Ecclesiastes Ch. 3 (Old Testament) and was immortalized for my generation (and those following) by Pete Seeger in his 1962 instant classic, Turn, Turn, Turn…
~ Maggie J.