Resolution

Here I go. I’m about to do what as a writing center tutor in college I always told people to never, ever do. I’m going to start this blog entry off with a quote from good old Webster. I’m beginning with a definition. Although I suppose technically I’m not, since I’m introducing this definition with a disclaimer, and besides this is not an introductory paragraph of an essay so the rules are different. There’s a nice run-on sentence that I would have hated, too.

Anyways, to my definition. Merriam-Webster.com lists about a gazillion meanings for the word “resolution,” which is a word that is on a lot of people’s minds at this time of year. The two that apply to the kind of resolution we are thinking about in January are as follows: 1) “the act of determining,” and 2) “firmness of resolve.” While we’re at it, “resolve” means: “fixity of purpose; resoluteness.” And I didn’t even know “fixity” was a word!

As far as I can remember, I have always made a list of New Year’s resolutions—either in the last weeks of December or sometime in January of the new year. Over the years, some resolutions I have met and others have fallen by the wayside. This year, I am not making any new resolutions.

This is in part because I haven’t taken the time to think of some, in part because I am noticing more than ever this year that New Year’s resolutions are way over-marketed (organization products, diet helpers, gym specials, etc.), and in part because I am still working on last year’s resolutions. We’ll call these roll-over resolutions. I don’t really need any new. Besides, I can barely handle my day-to-day resolutions. I feel as though I’m constantly resolving myself to one thing or another…

Actually, now that I think about it, Daniel and I do sort-of have a New Year’s resolution together. We are doing Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University through our church, which is taking us step-by-step through his “total money makeover.” It is a 13-week program that started in November; we weren’t sure how much we would get out of it since we were already talking about money, budgeting together, and working on paying down debt. We had been paying our credit card bill completely by the due date each month, so we didn’t have any “credit card debt”—at least the way we understood it. We paid both of our cars off in 2009.

It turns out, though, that we actually are getting quite a bit out of the program. We are starting the new year credit-card free and with big plans for our debt snowball from 2011 on out. And the level of detail involved in Dave Ramsey’s budgeting plans is really empowering. I highly recommend it! Alright, I’ll pull the plug on that one.

Happy 2011, everyone!