I'm so tired of looking back at the resolutions of the past year and realizing they lasted no longer than a week, which is why this year, I've decided to make a list that's way less ambitious.
1. Gain Weight
I'm going to quit all good eating habits ASAP. I vow to add carbs to my diet with reckless abandon. I'll start each meal with a generous helping of bread and rolls onto which I will spread an obnoxious amount of butter. I'll stuff food into my mouth with such fervor it'll make other diners uncomfortable to watch. I also vow to eat everything à la mode, including ice cream.
2. Forget an Old Language
This year, not only am I not going to learn a new language, I'm going to let my brain atrophy to forget the one I already know. I'll watch endless episodes of Adventure Time and Regular Show. I'll quit doing crosswords and speaking in complete sentences. I'll break all grammatical rules: I will misplace modifiers, dangle participles and end sentences in prepositions. I will express my thoughts through that African clicking language, modern dance and a set of bongos that I intend to wear around my neck.
3. Be Less Patient
I vow to be aggravated, exasperated and ready to blow my stack at the slightest misstep. The next time my son wants help with his homework I'll say, "That's it! Clearly this whole elementary education thing is not for you. If you don't know how to spell 'Discerning' by now, you never will... Now, go get a job! Oh, and take your sister with you, she spends way too much time on the potty."
4. Workout Less
This will actually take serious effort. The only thing harder would be to shower less. If I need the proverbial cup of sugar, I will drive to my neighbor's door and beep until she comes out and hands it to me. I'll take elevators in two-story buildings. Lastly, I'm going to cancel my gym membership and use the money I save to buy more ice cream.
5. Nag More
For over a decade, my husband has not picked up a wet towel, washed ketchup off of a dish, changed a light bulb or remembered trash day without a divorce threat -- ahem -- friendly reminder. This year, I vow to be relentless in my nagging. I will lay immediate blame using words like "always" and "never." As in, "I always," and "you never." I will amp up the guilt with, "I do everything around here" or something unarguable like, "It's obvious by your refusal to change a light bulb that you don't love me anymore." If all goes well, I'll be nagging him to go to couples therapy by 2014.
6. Stress More
I vow to lose sleep thinking about planning parties, redecorating my house, trying to budget, missing appointments, teacher conferences and health issues caused by stress. I will laugh an evil cackle while erasing all the plans from my iPhone and then cry over what I've just done. I will empty our bank account on frivolous investments and watch it dwindle away. Oh, wait... that already happened. Well, good, more for me to worry about.
7. Become Addicted to Something
Smoking, alcoholism and Starbucks are too run o' the mill. No, this year I vow to pick up a unique dependency that people can really talk about, like an addiction to hand sanitizer or sniffing hot glue from DIY projects. Or at least something beneficial to my endurance, like crack. Look, I already have a shopping addiction, so that's out and I do love me some reality TV; maybe I could offset the bills with a robust gambling problem.
8. Stay Out of Touch
This time of year, I'm reminded of the many friendships I've let time and space come between. I intend to further that distance. I'm gonna start by rejecting any new Facebook or social network requests. I will also attach a note that reads, "I never liked you in the first place, Sucka!" Lastly, I will cuss out and then hang up on people who call in hopes of fulfilling their own resolution to rekindle old friendships.
9. Hold Grudges
This year, I vow to forgive no one. I don't care if you step on my toe, or renege on a $5 bet, you will go on "The List" in permanent ink and I will twirl my imaginary handlebar mustache as I think about how to get revenge. I vow to hate you forever and never forget how you wronged me.
10. Gossip More
I vow to talk about everything you do in the New Year. If I see you at the pediatrician for so much as a flu shot, I will tell everyone your child has hand foot mouth so you can be verbally assaulted when you show up at a birthday party the next day. If you look too skinny, I will assume it's a divorce or you're a raging bulimic. If you look too hot, I'll call it a torrid affair. If you look too young, it's an addiction to surgical procedures because you're getting divorced, due to a torrid affair.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
-Jenny From the Blog
What's your most tackle-able resolution for 2013?
Follow Jenny on Facebook: I Love Jenny From the Blog
Read Jenny's Blog: The Suburban Jungle