Happy New Year! Goals and Resolutions

Lea Wait here. As the years roll by I suspect we all have our lists of things we’d like to do. Our “bucket lists,” as the movie called them. The most organized of us have even written them down. (“Spend New Year’s Eve in Paris.” check. “Finish reading War and Peace.” check.) I’ll admit … I’m one of those people who make resolutions (I call them goals) at the beginning of each year. In my most organized years I even broke them down by quarters, and by months.

Was I able to cross off those goals? Usually – some of them. And reading them over during the year did help me focus on what was really important.

When my children were still children, one of our family jokes were my repeated bits of wisdom. One of those they particularly hated was “keep your options open.” I basically meant … even if you hate your job/guy/class/place/boss … don’t diss it (or them). You never know when for some reason having made a graceful exit will help you out. I also meant “don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.” Maybe you really WILL hate fried octopus. But if you haven’t tasted it … how will you really know? Be brave.

OK. I still believe those things. (Within reason on the “try everything” list. My kids got me on that one a couple of times. No, I didn’t mean try every drug on the street or surf Big Sur the first time you’re on a surf board.)

But I digress.

Back to those years rolling by. At this point in my life I know there are some things I have never done – and don’t need to do. No, I’m not including major career choices (although I’ll never be a surgeon or maestro or ballerina, true). But there are some things I’m very happy to announce will never be on my list of “have dones.”  Some I’ve contemplated in the past, some I never have. But – at this point – realism has set in. There are too many other things I want to do, and too little time remaining, to worry about these.

For example: here are things I’ve never done, never will do – and don’t care.

– sky dived  or parachute jumped or bungee jumped. (There’s a theme here.)

– attended a bull-fight.

– gotten a tattoo.

– done jello shots.

– owned a motorcycle.

– driven a shift car.  Successfully.  (OK – should have learned; tried once. I’m not worrying about it anymore.)

– learned plumbing or wiring or roofing, even for my own abode. (Paint, wallpaper, building a bookcase – those are more my speed.)

– been a waitress or flight attendant or joined the military. (admittedly, age is an issue for 2 of these occupations, and knowing how many things I drop in my own kitchen – at this point the world is safer with my finding jobs other than waitressing should I seek out paid employment)

– mud-wrestled.

– sexted anyone.

– pierced anything on my body other than my ears.

– eaten anything that is still alive.

– run in a marathon. (I fantasize sometimes, and have decided this is one fantasy that even Walt Disney couldn’t make happen.)

– hunted either birds or animals. (Or people, for that matter. Law enforcement, public or private, I’ll do vicariously, thank you very much, through my books.)

– earned a pilot’s license. (A fantasy of youth.)

– skied water or down-hill.  And at this point I guess I should add cross-country.

– ridden on a roller coaster.

–  bred parakeets.  (Another dream of childhood.)

–  cultivated a large enough garden to “live off the land.”

–  read every book in the library. (My goal in second grade. Some days I wonder whether I’ll even read my way through every book in my to-be-read bookcases.)

I could keep going, but, instead, I’ll throw the question out to you.  What have you never done … and never will do?