Resolution Time

Resolution Time

The New Year always brings a renewed sense of commitment, of plans, goals and changes.  As I ran on the beautiful – albeit frigid - New Year’s morning, I was reminded again of this very important ritual we all seem to do. 

During my runs, I always note the oddball things I see along the road.  The one that gets me thinking is the random shoe.  How is it that there can be just ONE shoe on the road?  Are there that many people that don’t notice one barefoot?  Or do we have a huge majority of one-footed people out there?  How does this one shoe lay forgotten on the roadside? 

But this New Year’s Day run, I couldn’t help but notice all the half-full cigarette packs.  Seven, to be exact.  I know cigarettes are wicked expensive now, so throwing that pack carelessly – or carefully – on the side of the road does not happen by chance.

I also know that anxiety-filled last puff at midnight – hoping against hope the addiction fades as the sun rises.  It’s hard, really hard.   We tell ourselves, this is it.  No more.  Cold turkey.  And then we puff one more time.

Most resolutions are hard.  They are born from the idea that we will better ourselves, lose that weight, gain that promotion, heal our bodies, be a better person, friend, or employee. 

Yet, rather than coming from a place of hope, these resolutions often grow in a place of frustration or desperation.  We say to ourselves:  This is my last attempt, and with this new year ringing in, I will be all I am supposed to be.  I will quit these cigarettes, lose the junk food, calm the anger, be kinder, more patient, find a purpose……..

Then the sun rises and we are still there.

As I ran by those 7 packs (a new record of packs found on the side of the road for me), I silently prayed for their former owners.  I prayed for their resolve to continue as the year moves along, for the addiction to fade, for their spirits to grow. 

Adding on is always easier.  Really think about it:  I will add some exercise to my day, I will add some vegetables to my meals, I will add some kind words into my vocabulary.

It’s when we have to leave part of us abandoned on the sidewalk – and not look back - that the real work begins. 

Hope your New Year is everything you resolved it would be.

And if you are reading this and one of the people who abandoned their cigarettes, you can do it. Even if you stumble, remember every day can be the start of a new year.

I encourage you to pick up a copy of my book, 7 Days to a New You, which is currently out on Amazon.  Let this guide you through not only a food cleanse, but an emotional renewal.  The new year is a great time for cleanses and I hope you pick up a copy today!