New Year and New Lies

New Year and New Lies

Every year, I list resolutions on New Year's Eve. Usually, I only try five, hoping to manage all, but I break at least one within a month. I know it's not just me. Living up to the resolutions we set is tricky. My list is always the same:

1.       Save at least $1000

2.       Lose at least 15 lbs.

3.       Get organized

4.       Call friends and family when they pop into my mind

5.       Be Productive

Last year, 2022, I accomplished #5 because I joined Reedsy and was determined to write at least one weekly story. This year, I managed to do #2, only because I was ill and unable to eat as usual. It's hard to eat when you can't breathe. I spent three weeks in the hospital battling mucus plugs. I was in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) for nineteen of those twenty-three days. Twice, they tried to move me to a step-down unit, but I was admitted to the MICU three times and became the first patient discharged home from an Intensive Care Unit without being on hospice; I'm not dying yet!

So, I'm looking forward to 2024…

The resolutions are the same:

1.       Save at least $1000

2.       Lose at least 15 lbs.

3.       Get organized

4.       Call friends and family when they pop into my mind

5.       Be Productive

I know that I need a plan to achieve this list, so to save $1000 this year, I need to remember what they taught in this housing class back in the '90s:

A: Write down a budget

B: Write out my goals

C: Pay me first

D: Be honest with yourself and cut out frivolous spending

To save $1000 a year, I need to put $83.33/month into savings. So, a more reasonable amount to aim for is $500, which means $41.66/mo., especially since I promised my grandson his age per month in his savings account.

Number two should change to maintain weight loss or to lower my A1C, which I found is higher than expected.

Getting organized is the one I will struggle with this year. My children complain that I have too much stuff. They may have a point, but it's not their money going towards my shoe collection. Yeah, I hear you saying, why does a quadriplegic need fifty pairs of tennis shoes or dress shoes? Since I was ten and allowed to choose what I wore to school, I have expressed myself through my outfits. My mother used to laugh at me when we shopped for school clothes. I would build my wardrobe from shoes up. The problems we had would occur when I would change my mind and rework the choices if I spotted some different must-have shoes someone had abandoned elsewhere in the store. Maybe that is why one of my first jobs was in Roses department store's women's shoes. (Oops, I still stray off track when thinking about my shopping habits.)

Number four is one that many people neglect until it is sometimes too late. We never mean to be an unavailable friend who isn't reachable, but life happens, and then you realize you have not talked to your family members or your best friend when you receive the news that someone died. Life will keep us busy. Now that I am paralyzed, I understand why Grandma used to get upset with me for not visiting more after I got old enough to drive.

This year, I haven't given much thought to resolutions because I landed in the hospital the day before Thanksgiving until December 14^th. I have only been trying to recover. I guess the only resolutions I need this year are:

1.       Stay healthy

2. Don't stress over things I can't control

3.       Work on pleasing no one but God

4.       Create a realistic budget

5.       Do only what is possible to be happy

My wish for 2024 is that my family will be safe, happy, and pleased with their every decision. I hope that everyone does the job that they are best suited for. I pray for the strength to say NO and stick with my first answer. I guess I am adopting a new attitude. I'm friendly, and others will exploit my inability to say No and my generosity. I have always had trouble saying NO. Some people figured I would agree to almost anything when I fell asleep. Being on the opposite schedule was more challenging than the world when I worked the night shift.

Now that I have twenty-five years in the rearview mirror, I need a new one since my life-changing car accident in 98…

When I plan a day, I don't even brush my teeth in front of the vanity because of the mirror. It's a mind thing, I know. I used to get inspiration from the image peering back at me. These days, I see the loss of

1.       My job

2.       My vivacious attitude

3.       My earning potential

My get-up-and-go has gotten up and gone! Maybe I didn't recover from the first NOs from a potential landlord and was given when I attempted to return to work in '99. I applied for an overqualified position, but the interviewer couldn't hear or see past my wheelchair. That killed my spirit, but I have since realized:

1.       That those that couldn't understand the gift they were getting were the Nos

2.       Closed minds and hearts don't look for a reason to say YES

3.       I would not have been happy working in a hostile environment

Now that I have been writing this week's assignment, I know that my resolutions should fit my life as it is now.

1.       Maybe I should ask God for the wisdom to know my limitations. 

2.       Understand why other people are the way they are

3.       Know my strengths

4.       Do whatever makes me happy

Steve Harvey said something once that I now understand… "Do what you like and never work a day in your life." I listened

I love to write and don't have a paying gig, but I am HAPPY!