Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Presently Resolving for the Future

I'm not really one for setting goals. Even something as simple as 'brush your hair at least once a day' is destined to be followed for exactly 27 hours, after which I will brush my hair whenever I darn well please, thankyouverymuch.

I have this theory.

You see, we set goals in the present, expecting our future selves to be as on board with them as our present selves are. But, our future selves, when faced with the actual reality of having to do the thing present (but now past) self set a goal to do, future self (but now present) balks and decides that it's a much better idea to spend the afternoon plucking eyebrows and watching Star Trek: The Next Generation on Netflix and wondering where on earth all the cheesecake has gotten to. And the goal to volunteer at the doggie shelter gets swept aside. Until, of course, a future self which becomes a present self sets another goal for the future future self. And the cycle continues.

Past selves and present selves and future selves are not really the same people. Not exactly. And it's really always present self we have to live with.

My present self is kinda lazy. She likes sleeping and bumming around on the internet and playing video games. She does not like exercise, nor giving up her time for worthy causes, nor trying to reinvent her self.

So this year, I resolve to read books. As many as I feel like reading at the time. I also resolve to smile at my parents. And I resolve, most of all, to make snide remarks to future Beth about past Beth's atrocious spending habits.

Because seriously, did she think that dolphin necklace was actually fashionable?

1 comment:

Caprene said...

I'm not one for the New Year's Resolutions. If I want to change something I start right away. If you decide to start on a certain day, it must not be too important. But that's just me. (And if you haven't read The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap, I recommend it. I haven't had the chance to blog or post it on Goodreads yet - and I'm not making a goal to improve that poor habit, but it is a book for book lovers.)