Easter Resolutions

I've been thinking lately how silly New Year's resolutions are. Not the concept--God knows I love the idea of a fresh start. Blank slates are so forgiving. No, I'm fine with the theory of New Year's resolutions; it's their timing that bothers me. Who decided it was a good idea to make the new year start in the middle of winter? Who is motivated to make any kind of sweeping change when it's 14 degrees and snowing outside? No one. Why try to implement a new fitness regime when really the weather calls for one to be huddled in a Snuggie on the couch, sipping hot chocolate (with marshmallows) and watching trashy television. And why would you choose January to start eating better, when no fruit or vegetable is in season at that point, but there is plenty of Christmas junk food leftover? No wonder no one sticks to New Year's resolutions. It's not the resolutions that are the problem, it's the New Year itself.

I, for one, am a proponent for making the New Year start sometime around the end of March beginning of April. There's the obvious Christian argument--Easter is all about rebirth and renewal--what better time to make resolutions? And even if one doesn't do the Easter thing, one can still hop on the logical bandwagon of the renewal of spring. Flowers are blooming, animals are having babies, the Sox are reporting for Spring Training...it's time for a new start.

All that said, here are my Springtime Resolutions. Feel free to make some of your own, if the spirit moves you!

• Eat healthier. I've already gotten started on this, thanks to my awesome new roommates. They have slowly cut out both hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup from their diet, and have inspired me to do the same. It's relatively easy (especially once I figured out that some of my essential foods don't have HFCS) and I feel better already. It also helps to be in a house where other people are eating healthy because I monitor my eating better so I don't look like such a heifer in comparison.

• Exercise more. Once again, I've gotten a bit of a jump on this too. Thanks again to my roommate, I learned that Verizon FiOS has workouts On Demand, even easy ones for my poor unfit body. I also got a Pilates for Beginners video from the library and even though the supposed "beginner" in the video was apparently made of rubber (very discouraging) I still plan to keep up with it.

• Be nicer. This one I really have to work on. I'm hoping if I take care of the first two resolutions and start feeling better about myself, I might have a better outlook on life in general. Fingers crossed.

• Start going back to church. I was never the kind of person who hated church and couldn't wait to go to college to escape. I actually always kind of liked church, largely, I think, because I really liked the people at the church I went to my whole life. That was in fact why I didn't really go to church in college--I did try going to the church in Amherst a few times, but I ended up just getting homesick instead. Now, however, my "home" church has changed a lot and I don't think it would feel the same going there. But I might start going to the Congregational church in Tewksbury. We'll see.

• Try to be a little more sustainable. I did a little push on this senior year, but slowly chemicals (in the form of beauty products and junk food) have made their way back into my life. It's mostly laziness; I have to get back on that wagon.

• Be better about money. This is especially important in light of the fact that I will be unemployed as of May.

Though there is undoubtedly plenty more about my life that could probably change, I'll stop here. Happy Spring!