Resolute

It occurs to me that I know exactly what my New Years resolutions should be, and exactly why they won’t happen.

-Read a novel before bed rather than pass out to the sound of a rotating set of Britcoms. (I read much of the day for work and have a functional sleep routine and maybe it’s odd but I’m using headphones and not bankrupting my family with the Britbox subscription so maybe leave it be.)

-Go jogging every other day. (There is no time for this, it is never the weather for this, should still happen more though.)

-Convince my children to love all vegetables. (*I* don’t love all vegetables).

-Rather than finding exciting new clothes from Uniqlo/Muji/Poshmark/irl vintage shops, I will spend nothing whatsoever on new clothes, not in time or even in browsing. (LOL.)

-I will instead actually wear the better things I already own, not a rotation of near-identical jeans and white/black/gray/striped t-shirts. (Between the kid-related spills concern and the fact that I remain my 10th grade self, eternally afraid to be seen trying, afraid that I look like a clown when I dress up, the cream-colored satin Zara midi skirt I bought right before the pandemic will continue gathering dust, even though I once wore it to my kid’s dance class, paired with the white fisherman sweater, and it was the only time I ever nailed a look.)

-Not find day-to-day life frustrating, and remain at a perfectly even keel at all times, reminding myself that I am lucky, and embracing one of those parenting methods where if your kid takes 5 hours to get ready to go to school it’s fine. (I am lucky, and day-to-day life is uh frustrating, and I don’t want to go the way of Lloyd Braun. I should still aim for greater serenity, now.)

Seeing as Other Phoebe who wakes up at dawn to go for a run isn’t happening, is there anything realistic to go for? Maybe just, make it a fun year, do more of what’s fun, and less of what’s avoidable and is not.