Happy New Year/ welcome back/hope the holidays were fab/may 2013 be a great year, etc. etc.
I think January (as a unique month) doesn’t get the airtime it deserves. Everyone is crazy about December, February has that whole Leap Day thing, April is just littered with public holidays and May is sexy in both hemispheres, but January?
Everyone just ignores January.
To be fair, it is January’s own fault though. I mean the month starts with a hangover and only goes downhill from there.
There’s no money. There’s that whole back to work and back to school thing. It feels about 70 days long. It’s hot as hell but all the fun of Summer is pretty much over…
And then there’s the New Year’s resolutions. Oh my aching gall bladder! Crazy fad diets are being sent around fervently, boot-faced people are stomping around the office with nicotine withdrawal-induced bad moods, the bars are empty and the gyms are bursting and everyone is just being generally annoying.
Well, except perhaps for Food24’s American intern, Shaina. Her resolution is to drink more. You see, foodie and as-near-as-dammit teetotaler Shaina has undertaken a one-year-of-drinking challenge to learn how to enjoy wine, beer, and other drinks with food and learn about where they come from, why they are different and how to drink them in the best way.
She also wants to make all her own condiments, and continue to be awesome, so you can see why she’s fun to have around the office.
Restaurant editor, Cath, reminded me of my favourite exercise resolution: “I’m hiding away from exercise – I’m in the Fitness Protection Program” while a reader, Barbara, sent me this hilarious, if somewhat depressing picture. (Hey, while you’re there, like us and you can join in the games, competitions and other fun we have on Facebook).
In all seriousness though, I really do think outrageous resolutions are stupid. There is nothing wrong with wanting to change bad habits, but people tend to forget it’s almost impossible to change your entire life on a whim because you’re not satisfied with your current one.
Instead of reinventing ourselves, why don’t we try to just be ourselves for a bit to find out what it is we really want?
I am willing to bet that it’s not going to be at all what you thought you wanted.
Or do I have my head in the wrong place? What are your resolutions? Did you make any? Are you still following them? C’mon. Share.
Love and baby steps.
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