Lexington, KY - Per tradition, we usually tend to extend an effort to put our best foot forward whenever we start something new. Spiffy clothes for the new school year, flowers and attentive listening for new love interests, diligence and hard work for new jobs. It's our way of showing that we can look and act pretty sharp when we actually try, however fleeting the attempt may be.
And yet, a large majority of us start the New Year looking and feeling pretty lousy due to New Year's Eve's revelry, libations and other high jinks. Why? Why isn't Dec. 31 an evening of purity and a night of rest, so we can tackle whatever we may encounter bright-eyed and bushy-tailed? Why do we spend the night before the first day of a new year clamoring to find a party, waiting endlessly for a taxi, drinking cheap champagne, avoiding the lightweights who only drink on New Year's Eve, and sleeping in a huddled mass on a stranger's hardwood floor because the cab never came? Granted, New Year's is a holiday, but there seems to be a disconnect between being on top of your game when starting something new and dry heaving into a cold toilet all afternoon (not morning, mind you) on New Year's Day.
In fact, it's at that moment, when I'm clutching at the white porcelain, that I make my first resolution of the New Year -
"I'll never drink again." Coincidentally, it's also the first resolution I break each year, given I'm a subscriber to the "hair of the dog" remedy for hangovers.
Resolutions are a tricky business. I'm reluctant to wholeheartedly trust anybody's actions or words in the first week of the New Year -
you can never be sure if what you're witnessing is a person's true nature or the last vestiges of a feeble attempt to better themselves through an unfeasible resolution. You have to strike a balance when making a resolution, you can't just shoot the moon. Making a resolution that is too drastic will undoubtedly lead to failure, making one that's too timid will undoubtedly lead to a bunch of inconsequential malarkey that isn't worth the effort you put forth in the first place.
Though I'm better at giving resolution suggestions to others than following my own pledges through to their finality, I do try to come up with some attainable and effective resolutions. Instead of trying to quit smoking, I stopped throwing my butts out the window and onto the street. Instead of trying to get out of debt, I stopped taking out new credit cards every time an offer came in the mail. Instead of trying to spend more time with family and friends, I stopped cussing so much.
The most common suggestion I have for anybody regarding a resolution is to help others more. It's a modest change everybody can fit into their routine. If you happen to be at a loss when it comes to ways you can help others, look no further than this magazine. In this issue, our annual Smiley Pete Give Guide, we've published five of our readers' essays about a local charity that has positively impacted their lives. The words are powerful and the organizations are inspirational. In keeping with the spirit of the project, if, while reading these rousing pieces of prose, you find yourself moved to help out, we've conveniently listed ways to make a donation or take on new volunteering opportunities.
And if you do decide to start volunteering with one of these organizations, or with any other charitable cause here in town, be sure you look sharp when you start your new endeavor.