resolution

this is the spot where my computer used to be. but more on that later.

early january is here: good old new year resolutions time. previously, i mean in my former, un-enlightened un-self-knowledgeable life, i would have had many such resolutions lined up, all ready to go. change your life completely in one day, i.e. January 1st. have your life collapse straight back into its former shape, i.e. January 5th. yes... beautiful though they were, they did not last long, those new year resolutions of yonder years... so this year i thought a bit harder (i know i promised not to do that anymore, but it's a nasty habit) and looked back a bit longer.

and saw that in fact, in 2007, i successfully and seemingly painlessly acquired some fantastic new habits (daily yoga, daily meditation, almost daily cold shower, almost daily writing in my journal, regular walking, etc.). the 40 days thing. you saw it coming, right?

so, 2008 has approximately 360 days (they tell me). that's 9 times 40 days. that's 9 habits to acquire or lose. taking my time to build each one before moving on to the next. and allowing empty spaces for some of them to appear in the course of the year. in the disorder and so far, we have:

1) a regular writing practice (not journal-writing, not dream-recording, but proper non-belly-button-staring- fiction-or-non-fiction writing)(i think every day for 40 days, and then maybe reduce to 5 times a week, so i can breathe from time to time);

2) no more sugar. that's it. cold turkey. without return. the end of the sugar addiction (you wouldn't believe it now, but once upon a time, it was olives and crackers that got me out of bed at night, but now, oh... chocolates, chocolates, how i shall miss you...);

3) reduced computer-time (i've noticed that this one pops up regularly on people's resolution lists this year) (resolution lists that i have glimpsed using the computer, haha) (anyway, the idea is to reduce non-work-related computer time to three uninterrupted slices of 45 minutes a week) (as opposed to the usual 'wait, honey, mama is just going to check ONE little thing on the computer...' only to emerge google-eyed two hours later to find an exploded household and neglected wailing babes...);

(in the context of (1) and (3) i moved my computer from its former position at the heart of the living-room to the icy cold reaches of Marc's room upstairs. the old school-desk it used to pollute is now officially my writing space. see above.)

4) reduce my use of cell phone to bear necessities (... the simple bear necessities...), i.e. being stuck alone on a dark road at night in the middle of b.f.nowhere with a flat tyre and a broken leg OR being in my bath and wanting Marc who is sitting on the couch downstairs to make and bring me a cup of tea (just kidding...); the jury is still out on whether sms is legal, but in any case, at all times when not used, cell must be switched off;

5) no more meat. yes, i am finally ready to go vegetarian level 1;

6) no more manipulating of my children, i.e. out with all bribes and threats (if i manage this one for 40 days, i will officially crown myself mum of the year);

there, that leaves three empty slots for brilliant ideas to occur as we go. and now onwards ho! which one should i start with? meat? nah... too hard in the middle of winter... sugar? nah... even harder in the middle of winter... writing? nah... too cramped from cold in the middle of winter... ...