More Fun

My resolution for 2015 is to have more fun. Seriously. 

Days and weeks of my life pass as I systematically check off each item on my to-do list, which seems to grow longer each week. If I should happen to stop and think about it, I have to wonder, When was the last time I enjoyed a real belly laugh (the kind that works your abs and your facial muscles) or offered someone a genuine smile (versus a polite frozen smile that my job and basic politeness seem to require)? I've started to realize that I don't spend enough time or effort laughing or smiling. (And yes, unfortunately, these activities often require thought and effort.)
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But I also know that having fun, much like relaxing, meditating, and enjoying life, is easier said than done, at least for someone like me who is type-A, overly anxious, overly analytical, and prone to melancholia. I'm determined to stick with it, though. Perhaps I should use my perfectionism to my advantage by setting small, easily-achievable daily goals for myself. Like, for example, today I will stop what I'm doing and greet at least one coworker with a sincere happy-to-see-you (even if I'm not...ha ha) smile and eventually work my way up to all of my coworkers. And maybe I'll set a goal of watching at least one sitcom (Roseanne reruns these days) every day and one comedic film each weekend in a dogged attempt to provoke at least one laugh or smile to meet my newly-set daily quota. (Yes, one more item on my daily list of tasks. The irony, and its humor, isn't lost on me.)

Looking back over the past few years, though, I've noticed that resolutions have a way of creating themselves by the end of the year despite my stated intentions at the start of the year. In 2013, for example, my initial achieved resolution was to start a blog, which I did, that month. What I didn't realize then was that starting a blog set off a chain reaction that led to skydiving, learning how to swim, and trying horseback riding, yoga, and Pilates. So that one brave but scary action at the start of the year led me to become more adventurous in 2013.

Last year my general goal was to keep improving myself. By the end of the year, I'm fairly certain that I not only did that but I also became more accepting of myself and more content with my life, which was much more than I'd imagined or hoped for in January.

So, even though setting resolutions at the start of a new year can seem silly and pointless, I believe it's important. That one beginning baby step forward can lead to a plethora of progress 11 months later. It often does for me.