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January 2, 2006
There's a Reason Why New Year's Resolutions Never Last
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
On New Year's we are supposed to look back and reflect upon the the last
year and our entire personal history, and think about not only what
we've done, but what we haven't done as well. This after a few weeks of
over-eating, over-spending, and in general over-reaching our limits.
Being creatures of impulsivity, we look at our expanding waistlines, our
shrinking bank accounts, and the dark circles under our eyes, and we
decide that we need to put an end to such over-indulgence. We promise,
we resolve, to take better care of ourselves: We'll eat better, work
harder, and spend more wisely.
And then we celebrate our collective promises of clean-living with
another holiday blowout bash.
We awaken the next morning, hung-over on the previous evening's spirits
of gluttony and self-indulgence (if not alcohol spirits), and we begin to
plan our new regimens.
We bring out the food scales, the diet books and the meal planners,
purge our homes of all junk foods, and head for the grocery store to
restock with healthy foods. On the return home, we realize we are too
tired to cook anything, and binge quickly on fast food from the closest
drive-thru window. We comfort ourselves in the fact that we can really
begin tomorrow.
The next evening we make ourselves a broiled chicken breast, a healthy
salad (with only a teaspoon of salad dressing), and we sit at the table,
congratulating ourselves on sticking with the plan. Feeling full and a
bit smug, we decide to tackle those finances.
We get the checkbook, the bill folder, a pad of paper & a pencil, and we
try to create a budget. Somewhere between the heating bill and
yesterday's grocery receipt, we realize we cannot afford to eat healthy
organic vegetables, pay for a gym membership or a few exercise DVDs, and
a pair of yoga pants - unless we take on an additional part-time job.
And if we do that, we won't have any time to cook and will need to rely
on fast food again.
It's about this time that we grab our coats and head for the corner
convenience store where we'll buy an overpriced undersized container of
ice cream.
As we sit on the couch spooning ice cream from the carton into our
mouths we say to ourselves, "Ring out the old year, ring in the new year
- I just feel wrung out!"
Posted by photocartoonist at January 2, 2006 12:11 AM