New Year's Resolutions
Title
New Year's Resolutions
Identifier
NEW_YEAR'S_RESOLUTIONS
Creator
Jacob Schlitt
Description
"It is January 1, 2016. HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Date
2016-01-01
Format
application/pdf
Type
text
Text
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
It is January 1, 2016. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Fran and I went out for an early dinner with another couple last evening. We got together at 6 pm. How things have changed. After a leisurely dinner, we came back to our apartment, invited a few neighbors, and had a glass of champagne at around 9 pm. By 10 pm it was about over. How things have changed. Not even TV, and watching Dick Clark or his successor, and the crowds at Times Square. We just sat around, chatted, had a sip of champagne, and wished each other a happy new year.
I have fond memories of New Year’s Eve parties with lots of drinking and dancing, and at 12 more drinking and noisemakers, and singing Auld Lang Syne (whatever that means) and hugging and kissing, and back to more drinking and hugging and kissing, and as cousin Libby used to say—carousing, and finally getting home at daybreak. Not last night.
At dinner, our friend asked if we had made any New Year’s resolutions. I poo poo’d the idea. Fran noted that she hoped that things do not get worse. I later thought about the difference between resolutions and hope. A resolution suggests that it is something you resolve to do; that it is within your power, though it might involve will power. A hope suggests that it is something you would like to have, or have happen, but it is not within your power. It reminded me of the time my Reading Out Loud group went out to dinner, and when the waitress asked what we would like, Martha Bernstein replied, “World Peace.” Unfortunately it was not on the menu, and was not within the waitress’ power to provide it.
I now regret poo pooing the idea of talking about New Year’s resolutions. It would have been fun to hear what each of us is resolving (or hoping) to do in the coming year. Traditional resolutions involve things like losing weight if you are overweight, or gaining weight if you are underweight. Being organized if you are disorganized, or being less organized if you are obsessively organized. I have been writing pieces like this for almost 20 years, and for the past five years, I have secretly resolved to pull them all together, edit them and publish them in a book for posterity. It should be within my power to accomplish it. Maybe it is more of a hope.
I have been acutely aware of “the aging process.” I realize I can’t resolve not to deteriorate any more, but I can resolve to do some of the exercises my physical therapists have given me over the years. Of course, I was told by one of the many neurologists I have seen, that unfortunately, exercise would do no good. Severe neuropathy is not responsive to exercise. But then another doctor said that it can’t hurt. Which reminds me of the story about someone who dropped dead, and an old women suggested that he be given “bankes” cupping, an old world remedy. She was told, “He is dead! It can’t help him.” And she responded, “Still, it can’t hurt.” Maybe I will exercise.
Other New Year’s resolutions: Be nicer, be kinder, be more thoughtful, be more generous, be neater, be happier, be more organized, be more curious, be more attentive to your family and friends. Expert resolutions makers tell you to make resolutions of only things that you can accomplish. I believe most of those “be’s” are achievable.
And I have resolved that if someone suggests talking about New Year’s resolutions, I will not poo poo it. And this year, I will really resolve to pull all my memoirs together, edit them, and publish them in a book for posterity.
1-1-16
It is January 1, 2016. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Fran and I went out for an early dinner with another couple last evening. We got together at 6 pm. How things have changed. After a leisurely dinner, we came back to our apartment, invited a few neighbors, and had a glass of champagne at around 9 pm. By 10 pm it was about over. How things have changed. Not even TV, and watching Dick Clark or his successor, and the crowds at Times Square. We just sat around, chatted, had a sip of champagne, and wished each other a happy new year.
I have fond memories of New Year’s Eve parties with lots of drinking and dancing, and at 12 more drinking and noisemakers, and singing Auld Lang Syne (whatever that means) and hugging and kissing, and back to more drinking and hugging and kissing, and as cousin Libby used to say—carousing, and finally getting home at daybreak. Not last night.
At dinner, our friend asked if we had made any New Year’s resolutions. I poo poo’d the idea. Fran noted that she hoped that things do not get worse. I later thought about the difference between resolutions and hope. A resolution suggests that it is something you resolve to do; that it is within your power, though it might involve will power. A hope suggests that it is something you would like to have, or have happen, but it is not within your power. It reminded me of the time my Reading Out Loud group went out to dinner, and when the waitress asked what we would like, Martha Bernstein replied, “World Peace.” Unfortunately it was not on the menu, and was not within the waitress’ power to provide it.
I now regret poo pooing the idea of talking about New Year’s resolutions. It would have been fun to hear what each of us is resolving (or hoping) to do in the coming year. Traditional resolutions involve things like losing weight if you are overweight, or gaining weight if you are underweight. Being organized if you are disorganized, or being less organized if you are obsessively organized. I have been writing pieces like this for almost 20 years, and for the past five years, I have secretly resolved to pull them all together, edit them and publish them in a book for posterity. It should be within my power to accomplish it. Maybe it is more of a hope.
I have been acutely aware of “the aging process.” I realize I can’t resolve not to deteriorate any more, but I can resolve to do some of the exercises my physical therapists have given me over the years. Of course, I was told by one of the many neurologists I have seen, that unfortunately, exercise would do no good. Severe neuropathy is not responsive to exercise. But then another doctor said that it can’t hurt. Which reminds me of the story about someone who dropped dead, and an old women suggested that he be given “bankes” cupping, an old world remedy. She was told, “He is dead! It can’t help him.” And she responded, “Still, it can’t hurt.” Maybe I will exercise.
Other New Year’s resolutions: Be nicer, be kinder, be more thoughtful, be more generous, be neater, be happier, be more organized, be more curious, be more attentive to your family and friends. Expert resolutions makers tell you to make resolutions of only things that you can accomplish. I believe most of those “be’s” are achievable.
And I have resolved that if someone suggests talking about New Year’s resolutions, I will not poo poo it. And this year, I will really resolve to pull all my memoirs together, edit them, and publish them in a book for posterity.
1-1-16
Original Format
application/msword
Collection
Citation
Jacob Schlitt, “New Year's Resolutions,” Autobiographical stories & other writing by Jacob Schlitt, accessed April 23, 2025, https://tsirlson.omeka.net/items/show/410.