Resolution Re-dos

Today is Fat Tuesday—a day that, in my opinion, was actually made for breaking all of our New Year’s resolutions in one day. It is the one day of the year that we (Catholics, Christian’s, and anyone else who pretends to be) have an excuse to eat/do anything and everything we so choose. Because let’s face it—most of our New Year’s resolutions have to do with dieting, weight loss, and exercise. So today is the day we are given permission by God himself to break those resolutions in preparation for a fresh start tomorrow—Ash Wednesday (aka: the resolution re-do day).

59 days after making my New Year’s resolutions I will admit that I have not been 100 % faithful in my commitment to them. No, I have not gone to mass every single Sunday since promising myself I would on January 9^th, but I love going to mass with my grandparents when I do get to go (even if it means waking up at 6:30am on a Sunday morning. No, I haven’t been running, swimming or doing yoga as much as I would like to, but I make sure to keep all of these activities a part of my routine in some way. I run on average 2-3 times a week, I swim about 2 or 3 times a week (minus a few weeks of not swimming at all), and I consistently go to yoga every Monday night.

I have been only partially committed to what I wanted to be completely committed. But how many people actually fully commit to their resolution every single day of the year? I’m betting not many. If we did, I fear we would miss out on some very important and necessary moments throughout the year. For this reason alone, I am not upset with nor disappointed in myself for breaking my resolutions every once in a while, because I believe that every time I have failed to meet my expectation (for lack of a better word) a good memory was created without any guilt associated with it.

Each time I have missing swimming or running or mass, it has been for something important in the moment. I’ve gotten to spend lots of time with my 3 month old niece and watch her grow bigger almost every week. I have also gotten to spend time with good friends from college. I got to spend a fantastic weekend in San Diego with my best friend, who I would normally only see 3 or 4 times a year. I’ve had the opportunity to babysit all of my favorite kids. And finally, I’ve have the wonderful opportunity to coach swimming for Mitty. I love what I don’t miss because of the few times I give up my commitment to my resolutions, if that makes sense.

So, in the spirit of Lent, I am not only hoping to re-do my New Year’s Resolutions, but I will also be giving up sweets for the next 40 days. I have also believed that you are not only supposed to give up something during Lent, but also add something to your life—do something extra. For myself and for others, I am going to start volunteering at a hospital. Since high school, I feel as though I’ve lost touch with reading out to those in need, and I hope to help for the next 40 days and beyond in any way I can. Enjoy your resolution re-dos, everyone!