New Year’s Eve is about celebration and reflection.
Back in the day, the plan was to turn it out. We would organize our party of adventurers and descend upon some nightspot. This would usually include some random club charging a $75-$100 cover price with the promise of holiday cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.
But reality kicks in once your are admitted and you are greeted by “Good Times” “rent party” decorations, a bustling crowd of 20 patrons and a VIP section comprised of two tables roped off next to the kitchen. The libations are watered-down cocktails and flat champagne. The holiday spread is crackers, a can of Cheez Wiz, a veggie plate from Food Lion and a tray of cold hot wings.
It is funny how things change, as you get older.
The last few years, I’ve preferred a quiet gathering with a few family and friends to bring in the New Year. Each year the gatherings seem to get smaller and more subdued, which is fine with me.
If New Year’s Eve is about celebration — then New Years Day is about resolve.
Most people have such high expectations for the New Year. I have friends who’ve made dedications to being better parents and more attentive partners. Let’s not forget our requisite fickle fitness fanatics who bloat the gyms with their presence for the first two weeks in January, never to be seen again. Other folks run the gamut of everything from stop smoking to start recycling and even being a better humanitarian.
Like many of you, I have found that when my goals are too lofty, I tend not to stick to my resolutions. So this year, I am trying something different and lowering my expectations and hopefully improving my success quotient.
Think of simple things that you can do to make the world a better place.
So to help you, I am offering "Professor Locs' Top Five Lowered-Expectation Resolutions":
5. For every episode of “Basketball Wives” I see, I vow to watch something more educational … like “The Making of Basketball Wives.” (LOL!)
4. I resolve to not stare daggers at the Verizon Vixen speaking so loudly on her cell phone that the entire Family Dollar is privy to her conversation. (This is also practical as you could bring her pink acrylic wrath upon you and end up with a container of discount bleach upside your head.)
3. I resolve to not become confrontational with Walmart greeters who do not speak.
2. Instead of hitting the floor like I’m in Kosovo avoiding enemy fire, I promise to engage at least one drive-by-saint a month who knocks at my door.
1. Finally, and maybe the most difficult, I will be more patient with the cashier at the Bojangle’s drive through when I don’t give exact change — and I witness the wave of panic wash over them as they realize they may have to actually execute a mathematical transaction.
Avoid the guilt of not completing unrealistic goals, just lower your expectations and enjoy the New Year worry free. Go ahead try it! And feel free to share your own down-sized resolutions.
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