I just don’t think I can be bothered this year. There are lots of ways I should improve and lots of things I should be doing, but if I didn’t achieve them in 2019 I’m not likely to achieve them in 2020 either. I can’t imagine that people are any more successful at keeping New Year’s resolutions than they are at sticking to the latest miracle diet.
So instead of a list of resolutions, here is a list of the things I didn’t do in the past year, and I’m fairly confident that they’re unlikely to be achieved this year either.
1. I did not read the complete works of Dickens. I am a fan, really, but things like Dombey and Son and Our Mutual Friend just seem like a step too far. They’re so long and the print is so tiny. I did visit Dickens’ house, though, so feel I have made some effort in that direction.
2. I didn’t improve my French. I always mean to work on my French, but never do. I’m sure I just need sufficient motivation. I’m thinking of a long-term stay in Paris…
3. I did not write a book. In the back of my mind, I’ve always thought I’d write a book. I think it’s because all the heroines in the books from my childhood seemed to end up as authors and I just assumed I would too. However, they all had stories fizzing around in their heads, waiting to be written down and I have none whatsoever, so I don’t think I’ll be writing a work of fiction. It would have to be non-fiction, but what would I write about? The World of Coffee? My Quest for the Perfect Hummus?
4. I didn’t grow my own veggies. I love the idea of growing my own vegetables and sometimes I even plant some seeds, but then I forget to water them or the seedlings get eaten by grateful slugs. It all seems more effort than it’s worth. Everyone says that veggies taste better fresh from the garden, but one year I did grow my own peas and, after lovingly watering and feeding them for months, they provided enough peas for precisely one meal and they didn’t taste any better than the ones in the freezer.
5. I didn’t sort out the loft. Too scary.
I do actually have one vague ambition and that’s to read all the books I own and not buy any new ones until I have. This will probably take more than a year, but fortunately I don’t own Dombey and Son or Our Mutual Friend, so there is hope.
Here’s to a new year free of resolutions.
I do have Dombey & Son … and, no, I haven’t read it either!
I have a novel in progress. The synopsis is all planned out and the first chapter written. I dare not admit how long it is since I penned the intriguing opening paragraphs. If I’d written it in pen and ink, the ink would have long since faded and the writing paper become brown and brittle at the edges. Lovin’ the blogs.
Thank you. I’m sure inspiration will strike at some point. Maybe you should write your memoirs?