I Resolve

I wanted to try something new this year for my resolutions. So instead of pulling them out of a hat like I normaly do, I have pulled them out of books. These are some of my most recent reads and some of the best books I have found this year. Funny how I saved the best for last without even meaning to. They have inspired me, made me stop and think, and just made me feel good. So here we go.

“I am going to stop undoing, deconstructing. I am going to start building.” The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbary. This little gem comes from a discussion in the book comparing chess to the Japanese game of go. In chess you kill to win, in go you build to live, but must also allow the other player to live. Lately I have been seeing my life through the lens of excess and waste. So just recently I have joined a group and have committed to “ReStyle” old, reusable objects around the house. So instead of throwing something out right away, I will keep it and try and give it a new purpose. I am not saying that I will throw nothing away, but I will certainly be more aware and donate what I can. Also, instead of just buying something new, I am going to try and find something old and transform it for the same purpose. No more destroying, only building.

“Eat, Pray, Love.” (but not necessarily in that order) Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. This may sound a little contradictory, to eat as a New Years resolution, but it is true. I really do love food, granted, I don’t want to eat just anything as I start this year of 2011. I want to stop eating junk and start cooking at home more often. Just recently I have started collecting new recipes and testing them out. We are keeping our favorites and tossing the rest, it has become quite the adventure, and needless to say, the husband loves it. I want to keep it up and start making real food more often, instead of Mac n’ Cheese. As for praying and loving, those are things I could always do more of.

“It’s too late for that. Way too late. It’s stupid even thinking about it, as stupid as thinking of working in that office.” Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. This book tugged lightly on my heart strings from the first chapter all the way to the end. It is a story about friendship and purpose and so much more. Granted, I know the moral and ethical issues that it is trying to pinpoint regarding clones and souls, but it reminded me a lot of cancer and disease and loss in today’s world. It reminded me that life is special, all life, and life is short. One thing I never way to say in my life is that it is too late for something. It should never be too late for the important things in life. I am going to work more on appreciating each and every moment I have. Focus on my loved ones and find that focus in each breath.

Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke. This resolution doesn’t necessarily have to do with just this book, but more or less the whole series. I love these three books and have since I first discovered Inkheart in high school. In this last book it was made even more poignant to me that words are magical and inordinately important. Not only do words breathe life into stories, but they really do bring the rest of the world to into a sharper existence. I cannot even begin to imagine my own life without the restorative powers of words. So in this new year I am going to strive to use words more often, to read and to write every day and to use only the best words.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman. Help and influence can come in all shapes and that is what this book is all about. I didn’t usually align myself with the narrator, little twelve year old CeeCee Honeycutt whose mother died and whose life gets turned upside down. I did however connect with all the women who stepped in when CeeCee’s need was most dire. This is a book all about girls and what girls do best. We make good best friends, good mom’s and sisters, we make good daughters. We fight and bicker and loose our minds sometimes, but we also support, mourn, laugh, cry, lift, and live life with a passion. Sometimes we learn these things, sometimes we already know them from birth, but what matters most, and what I want to do this year, is use all of these girly characteristics to be of help and influence to those around me.

Five excellent resolutions if I do say so myself. But I can't say that this list will limit my ambitions. These are only five of an ever growing list. I am sure the list will grow whenever the next inspiration strikes.