10 Best New Year's Resolutions

It is nice to be thin and it is nice to be healthy. But..... if you cannot enjoy the process then it is not adding to the quality of your life. Live your life to the fullness that you choose. Not according to pharmaceutcal ads and your blood test results. Life is short. Live it that way.

Remember that not everyone worships the same god, and respect that.

If you are tempted to bemoan the use of "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas", try fighting the urge to call it political correctness gone wrong. It is a simple acknowlegement that there are other ways of seeing the world. They have respected you. Relax and return the favor. You'll feel better, trust me.

Remember that the world seemed simpler because you knew less about it.

Children in the USA, I can only speak about this country because this is where I have always lived, are protected almost beyond reason. They are left ill prepared to face the changes and diversity in the world they will grow into.

You were probably raised that way too. Sheltered from violence as much as possible, protected from the shock of alternative lifestyles. Relax. You know more now and those who you find a bit odd aren't insisting you live the way they do.

Draw a clear line between where you end and they begin, and let them live as they wish. We need you thinking clearly, not wishing to return to the womb. Flexibility and tolerance it the watch words of the real world. Sempre Gumby!

Cultivate a garden

Or do something, ANYTHING, that will benefit you directly from your own efforts. Sun, water, and soil..the basics. No meetings, no haggling, no concerns about what the market will bear.

Wear comfortable clothing

Find things to wear, at least at home, that are flowing or have no seams. Why? Because fabric is constant friction against the flesh. Seams keep the body divided in front, back, side, top, and bottom during most waking hours. You need time without that friction. The body wants to feel like one complete package everyonce in a while. Bet it helps your mood too!

Spend time thinking

While you are doing it, have your kids spend time like that too. I marvel at families with children rushing frorm one activity to another after school AND weekends. Games, rehearsals, anything but sitting still and letting the mind work a few things out. If you are one of those who takes pride in saying "I feel better when I am busy", give yourself permission to learn another way of feeling better.

Insist on formality

Promise yourself this. When a salesperson walks up and says "Hi, my name is Jim..and you are....?", fight that urge to give your first name. Last fellow who did that with me learned that my name is "Ma'am". I have seen real improvement in service from quite a few people usiing that technique.

Eat something strange

It doesn't have to be fried ants. But try something from India or Egypt. Try some Morrocan food but get away from European eating habits at least once a week. Eat it the way the natives would. If you pay attention you get a feel for some of the conditions that exist in their homeland that require they eat a certain way. It might be a window on how they view the rest of us.

Remove your shoes

When you get home after a day at work or when you wake up on a day off, keep your shoes off as much as you can. Alot of people have their feet covered by a structure all the time. No wonder their feet have issues. Practice trying to get your toes as nimble as your fingers. It does wonderful things for your balance and your feet will make you smile, with practice.

Have a day in bed

At least once a month, spend a day in bed. Read, write, watch tv. Get some of those little pillows witht he stubby arms on them to prop your back on. Staying in bed will close off the concerns that you are reminded of when you are up and about in the rest of the home. It is a mini vacation. You don't even have to be sick!