I don't do New Year's resolutions. Sure, there are things I feel like I should do. Floss more. Eat less sugar. Exercise longer, or harder, or trendier. But the reality is, I know I won't do that stuff. I'll still forget to floss. I'll put sugar in my tea and eat a cookie after dinner. After 30 minutes, dude, I'm getting off the dang treadmill. And you will never find me in a Zumba class. I know I look stupid when I dance, and I'm just not going to do it. New Year's resolutions are sure-fired failure in my world, so I'm just not gonna go there. But the other day my college-age son said something profound. He said, "I'm not going to wait til after graduation to have the life I want."
He made me think about how often I live my life in the future, waiting until...something...better teeth, health, or legs?...so that I can be really happy. I minimize the impact of today because it's not quite all the way perfect yet. I miss out on opportunities to be grateful, joyful, peaceful because I worry about what's going to happen if.
In the words of Master Upwe in Kung Fu Panda, "Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present."
I need to enjoy the gift of today. That is my resolution.