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December 31, 2008

This Wonderful Life

Anonymous The Cooperstown Crier Wed Dec 31, 2008, 08:36 AM EST

And a Happy New Year I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions. Most of them are broken before you can remember consistently to write the new year on your checks.

And frankly, it just becomes disheartening, year after year, to promise the same changes on Jan. 1. ``This is the year I’ll stop (insert vice here) and start (insert virtue here).’’

The thing is, the vices are always the same — stop over-eating or over-drinking, stop smoking, don’t take things or people for granted, stop watching so much TV, stop doing all those things that you wish you didn’t do.

And the virtues follow suit û start taking better care of yourself, start a physical fitness regimen, read more, spend more time with friends, simplify, declutter, make time for the important things in lifeà My own list is probably more or less the same as yours û and the same as every person’s since the beginning of human self-consciousness.

While I don’t like resolutions, I do like the ritual of slowing down, taking stock and correcting course.

And as I was taking stock of the things I’d like to improve in the coming year, I realized that everything comes back to one thing: Mindfulness.

First on my list is being more green around the house. We’re pretty good about recycling and being eco-friendly in all the ways we can. But we know we could be better. Essentially, that means being mindful of the way our choices affect the environment, and how we can make those choices at least incrementally better.

Second on my list is eating a healthier diet. Were not complete addicts of junk food and empty calories.

I’m vegetarian, and the rest of the family is close to it. We rarely eat fast food.

We’re not big on pre-packaged foods. But we could be better. We could eat a healthier diet, shop more locally and do a better job of putting our ideals where our mouths are. Again, that means paying mindful attention to the food our bodies actually need, as opposed to the Cheetos and other stuff we crave when we’re bored or trying hard to distract ourselves from real work at hand. ``Time to start a new column. Hmmm, I sure could go for some nachos!’’ I also want to be more organized around the house. Like a lot of families with a few children and two working parents, I’d love to have a system of keeping the house clean with minimal effort. I want to spend less time on weekends making up for my weekday slovenliness.

I want to stop finding half-eaten grilled cheese sandwiches under the sofa cushions. Yep, that’s all about mindfulness of my space.

Chances are I am not alone in these goals. Whether it’s to eat better, organize better, go greener or just live a more balanced life, I’m guessing that at least one of your resolutions falls under one of those categories. And chances are it’s going to be tough going for all of us to try to keep those resolutions. But it will be easier if we do it together.

I’ve started a website to chronicle my attempts to create a more mindful family. You can follow us, and share your own personal goals (call them resolutions, or not) for 2009.

Join me at www.moremindfulfamily. wordpress. com as we enter 2009 and create a more mindful life together. Leave comments. Tell me about your own resolutions. Tell me how you’d solve my lapses of mindfulness.

I want to hear from you. I want this to be the beginning of a year of people sharing smart solutions to help the entire community succeed and prosper. And most of all, I want some nachos. Mmmmm — nachos.

Elizabeth Trever Buchinger is trying her level best. She can be reached at VillageWordsmith@gmail.