The last couple of years have been a little shaky; it might be tough to face the next installment of the 2020s without flinching. But hey, put on your water shoes and let’s jump right in!
Even though I can’t recall ever sticking to one for 12 whole months, every year I make New Year’s Resolutions. I feel like a powerful new person when I remember to write or type the date with the correct year; no wonder I think I can follow arbitrary new rules I assign to myself.
After all the scary and sad events in 2020, I skipped the resolutions for 2021. When 2021 turned out to be another hellscape, I almost skipped the resolutions for 2022 as well. Then I thought, maybe they could just be a list. A list of suggestions, of gentle reminders, of potential aspirations. A double-digit list for a double-digit year.
In the past, a list of resolutions has basically been a list of hypothetical ways for me to disappoint myself. I will fit back into these jeans from 1994! I will vacuum every day! I will develop a fabulous new makeup routine! No, I won’t.
Today I sat down with my coffee and I thought about making 22 goals for 2022. It was a daunting task, until I decided that these would not be goals. These would be reminders to myself that I have lots of potential, that I can branch out in different areas of my life—if I want to. And if I don’t want to, I don’t have to.
Maybe you will recognize some of your own capability in 22 examples of Becky potential. Feel free to steal any of these ideas. Or don’t. (See how this works?)
1. Go to the gym. Or don’t. Once upon a time I went to the gym on a very regular basis. I liked going there to play with the weight machines. It was fun. I haven’t been in a long time. It seems like a job. Maybe I will go back to playing with the weight machines. Maybe I won’t. The point is to have fun, not drag myself to the drudgery of a second job.
2. Get this dog to walk on the leash like a gentleman. All around the house my dog is an obedient cutie-pie. As soon as you snap a leash to his collar, he morphs into a 20-mule team pulling a wagon across the prairie. Focus Becky. Go back to obedience school or follow the rules in a book by Cesar Milan.
3. Clean my car every….so often… Every week? Month? What do people with clean cars do? How do they do it? I’m gonna Google it. My only caveat is that it must be free.
4. D
5. E
6. C
7. L
8. U
9. T
10. T
11. E
12. R
No, I’m not cheating by using up nine spaces for decluttering. There are nine areas in my life that desperately need decluttering. In fact, there are so many areas of my life that need decluttering, I can use 2022 for the first nine. I probably have the rest of the decade covered as well. Baby steps for this year. Bedroom closet, scarf collection, shoes, linen closet, office bookcase, living room bookcase, under the kitchen sink, one file drawer, kitchen island cabinets. There, it’s in writing! Maybe I will report on my progress in June! Maybe I won’t.
13. Pick a good habit that interests me. Learn how habits are formed. Do a bunch of research about how people form the habit I want. Be proud of myself for all my new knowledge. Flip a coin about whether to implement this habit in 2022, 2023…or maybe never. It’s all good.
14. Keep eating Chinese takeout on Fridays. Speaking of habits, what a great one! My husband and I started this a few months ago. It makes the whole week better.
15. Designate one day of the week to tell my hubby something I like about him. That’s 52 things. Super easy. He’s very likeable.
16. Designate one day of the week to tell myself something I like about me. What do you like about you? What skills do you have? We’ve all got something. Who better to remind us of the good in ourselves than us?
17. Make my own meme. I just love memes. They’re so funny. I want to make one of my very own. Then I will laugh and laugh.
18. Pretend I am a tourist in my hometown and do something touristy. There must be something cool and unique to do around here. If I was from another state or country, what would grab my attention? That will be my activity.
19. Take good care of my plants. Oh, this black thumb. These long suffering plants. I must make a promise to them: I will do better. You will have fewer brown leaves, that is my solemn vow.
20. Be nosier with my nieces and nephews. They don’t all live nearby. What are they doing? What do they like? Who are their friends? I’d like to know more.
21. Make a serious effort to meditate. I went to a training about stress management and resilience; they talked about meditation and we did a little exercise. We also watched a Ted talk about it. Very intriguing. Warrants further investigation.
22. Make the first move to connect with family and friends. I love spending time with family and friends. I almost always say yes to an invitation. How about if I do more inviting? Pick up the phone Becky, you can do it. If they can’t talk to you now, they’ll call you back.
So, there you have it. A bunch of ideas about potential. I like the idea of branching out in all different directions. I like the way little tiny changes can have a big impact. Poor 2022, it probably doesn’t want to be a complete shitshow. I’ll try to help you out, 2022. Maybe we can look back fondly in a year and say, “Hey, that wasn’t completely horrible! A couple of good things happened! Look, all the leaves on my plants are green!”
I know the water’s murky but put on those Crocs and splash around with me.
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