New Year's Resolutions

"So, do are you making any resolutions for the New Year?"

If I heard that question once over the past few days, I heard it a dozen times.  Everyone, it seems, is curious about what changes friends and family are making for the coming year.  Oddly, the folks who loudly proclaim they don't "do" resolutions are often the ones who ask the most frequently.  Maybe they are secretly hoping to hear a resolution that will change their lives . . .  that they can then steal and make their own.

Last year, my New Year's resolution was to stay in touch with friends and family better.  To that end, I joined Facebook (I fought it as long as I could, but finally, submitted to the insidious social network) and started posting comments about what happened in my life.  I read other people's posts and tried to keep up with the comings and goings in their lives as well.

I learned a lot about my friends and family from reading their posts -- who knew my cousin had such a great sense of humor?  Or that my friend was writing (and publishing) a book?  Or that so many kids were doing so many interesting things?  Or that so much of my family was interested in politics?  It was all out there, posted online for the world to see: humor, politics, day to day life, rants, and details I was surprised to see published so publicly.  I learned about loss, illness, triumphs, accomplishments, frustrations and all manner of daily life.

All in all, I have to say last year's resolution was the most successful resolution in my whole life.  Now, I guess my next challenge is to keep it up and maybe make it a bit better.  As I move into 2012, my resolution is to continue to stay in touch, to keep up what I achieved over this past year and expand on it.  I plan to continue staying in touch with family and friends and make an effort to actually see more of folks I love.  If you get a surprising message from me, asking about getting together, try to bear with me.  I'm still learning how keep up with social stuff.