I will clean my room (and other un-kept resolutions)

(Maria Jorica B. Pamintuan is a UP college freshman taking AB Journalism. Jori is also known to baristas, ice cream men, and teachers as Jeri, Joni, Diory, Hori, Yori, or Choory. In between mouthfuls of delicious (and probably fattening) food, she speaks, talks, yaks, gabs, and on occasion, hollers at anyone who dares to listen. When not eating or speaking, she spends her time chasing stories, downloading music from the Internet, or snoozing. 

After being hospitalized for a cold sore, becoming lost in a foreign country, and a short performing stint on the small stage, she is now struggling to pass Math1. What next? Well, the rest is still unwritten.) 

Every New Year’s Eve while growing up, my father would tell me to jump as high as I could so I would grow taller. I never paid much attention until a few years ago, when I realized that I had stopped growing. Now, I try my best, but I’m still as short as ever.  Undeterred, I continue to jump up and down year after year. In this way, I start the year filled with hope.

The New Year is a cause for celebration. Bright lights and noise welcome a new beginning and drive away evil spirits. The celebration would not be complete without fountains, sinturon ni Hudas, lusis, trompillo, five star, super lolo, and other pyrotechnics, some of which are imported (mostly from China) and cost much, much more. Money going up in smoke, if you ask me.

Then there’s the media noche, a sinful way to begin the year — ham (on tasty bread that we’ve been baking for the past three years), spaghetti and hot chocolate are staples. The succeeding meals will be just as sinful. Lunch and dinner are feasts of holiday leftovers.

People like me, who resolve to eat healthier every year, often defer making resolutions until after the festivities.

Making resolutions is a tradition in itself. This year, my list includes, among others: I will exercise, I will stop eating junk food, and I will stop procrastinating. I love making resolutions, especially during the holiday season when I feel there is a better chance that I will actually accomplish them. New year, new life, right? The hard part is keeping the resolutions.

Other folks make a habit of making resolutions, too. Some popular ones are:

“I will quit smoking/drinking.”

“I will start eating healthy food.”

“I will study/work harder.”

“I will stop cutting class.”

“I will clean my room.”

“I will be on time for school/office.”

“I will be a better person. Really.”

Sound familiar? We all make promises to ourselves to improve in some way, especially during this season. These promises are kept, probably for a month, maybe two, and then forgotten, only to be made again the following year.

We lose the drive to change, and we fall back on old habits. Diets are dropped, academics are put on the back burner, and tardy slips accumulate once again.

The problem is that after the fireworks have been set off, we resume our pre-holiday routines. We forget. We again become busy with our problems. Worried about how to pay our Christmas shopping bills, we can’t remember a silly little promise or two that we made to ourselves at the start of the year. And when we realize that we have gained a few more pounds (heaven forbid if it were a few more kilos!), or that our credit cards are maxed out again, we begin thinking of what we will resolve to do next year.

 I have never kept a resolution. They come undone with the passage of time. So this year, I’m changing my tack: I resolve to actually fulfill my resolutions. (Sorry, Mom and Dad. “I will keep my room tidy” will have to wait for next year.)

There are so many things we want to improve in ourselves. This is why resolutions are so popular. But the holiday season is not just a time for wanting and wishing; it is also a time for giving thanks.

 All the blessings we have received throughout our lives should be counted and celebrated. We all have much room for improvement, but there is also much to be thankful for.

Our country faced many trials in 2008, and will surely face more in 2009. Not everyone is happy, but most of us get by. Hey, Filipinos are among of the happiest people on Earth, right? Some people may have more in material things — food a-plenty, clothes, cars and beautiful houses — but this does not mean that less fortunate folks are any less happy.

Family, friends, good health, and little things to smile about — these are what truly matter. No matter how much we may have in life, we must never forget to express how grateful we are to God for everything that is right. Even in adversity, there are lessons to be learned, so little bad things should not get us down either.

Let’s continue making our resolutions. Who knows? Perhaps this year, we will actually accomplish them. Until then, we should simply be thankful for what we have and what we are.

 Resolutions may not be written in stone, but they are never unwritten. It is said that angry words should be written in water, while kind ones should be etched in stone. What about resolutions, then? They are written in our hearts.

This is, of course, a good way of copping out on our resolutions at the earliest possible time.