Something New

My New Year's resolution for 2012 is the same as it always is: to quit smoking... which is actually rather easy since I never have nor ever will smoke. Beyond that, I'm not a big fan of the whole resolution thing, because they're rarely genuine and they usually get tossed out the window by Groundhog Day.

But this year is different. This year I think I've come-up with a winner - an idea that speaks to the self-improving essence of New Year's resolutions while simultaneously providing additional fodder for my blog...

I'm going to try new things.

Twelve new things, to be exact. One for each month.

Keep in mind, of course, that trying new things has never been my hallmark. Think about it: I'm from New England (i.e. "The Land of Steady Habits"), I'm Polish (a population not necessarily known for their flexible, easy-going nature) and I've never lived more than thirty minutes away from the hospital in which I was born. (Hell - if you listen to my mother, even in utero I was only comfortable with what I knew since I refused to make an appearance until a full two weeks after my due date.)

Over time, though, I've come to realize that I'm just like that ugly little yellow guy with the hat in the Dr. Suess classic Green Eggs & Ham. Time and time again, someone (usually my wife) mentions something that I should try. They tell me its great, that I'd love it, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera; and just like the ugly yellow guy in the book, I go on and on about how I don't like it, how I refuse to try it, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. The cycle is vicious and has continued time and time again over the course of many years... until now.

In each of the next twelve months, I am vowing to try one new thing that I have dismissed in the past as merely "green eggs and ham." It could be a food or an experience or an activity or an event - but it has to be something new, something that I've never ever done/eaten/seen/participated in before (and preferably something I can engage my wife and/or kids in as well). And when I'm done doing/eating/seeing/participating in each one, I'm going to write a blog entry about it - so come December 31, 2012 (assuming the Mayan conspiracy theorists are wrong) I will be able to look back upon a whole gamut of things that I said I'd never try but finally did.

I already have a few ideas based on things people have consistently suggested over the years:

• Trying yoga (that will probably be first)
• Running a 5K
• Eating sushi
• Getting a manicure (that one still may take some convincing)
• Seeing a foreign film
• Watching a live hockey game
• Eating like a vegetarian for a week

And again: those are just ideas. I'm actually looking for more... so if you have any, please send them along! I don't expect to fall in love with every single thing I try, but I'm also old enough to know that the failures and the "dislikes" in life are usually more important than the successes and the "likes." 

All in all, I think this could be fun - and I'm genuinely looking forward to New Year's Eve when I can look back and see all that I've done.

Let's roll!