Resolutions

Steak for Eight!

That was all we needed. Eight friends from long ago who hadn’t all been together in way too many years. And you would’ve thought we all had dinner the night before. A New York steakhouse hosting this group was long overdue, but you know how it is. Whatever the excuse might’ve been it was probably a good one……. probably a bad one.

We shared our stories (some good, some bad), reminisced of those great times long past, and teased each other as good friends do. Yes, it really was long overdue, and we all vowed to do it again soon. Golf in the spring was the decision and the toast made it official. A resolution for all of us as the calendar turns.

Have you made yours? Of course, you’ve at least thought of it by now. Eat better. Exercise more. Read more. Whatever it is, history tells us we won’t live up to our lofty expectations.

I thought of mine. Or at least I thought I did until that night. Strolling the streets of New York City after four hours with a bunch of accountants might cause one to reflect a little. Ok, maybe just me.

So, based on a night where eight reunited friends feasted on a side of beef, I’d like to make the following suggestion for your 2020 resolution:

Go to that park you always used to go to. You know, where you spent all those days and time moved a little slower. The ball fields that you played on. The beach where your family always took you. The woods that you loved to explore. The field where you would walk your dog. You know exactly how to get there. It’s still near the top of your favorite places in the world and you just haven’t been there in a while. It probably looks different now, but the memories are still there, and they’ve been waiting for you to return.

Go to your closet and take out the hobby that you haven’t touched in years. The baseball cards that you organized with such care, and protected so expertly, that a bent corner was unacceptable. The gourmet baking set that helped you create the finest assortment of cookies, cakes, and pies that everyone expected you to bring a creation to every function. The art set that gave you pride as you believed that art is your own expression no matter how it looked when you were finished. The guitar that gave you chills the first time you actually played the opening to Stairway to Heaven. Although you haven’t touched them you most definitely stared at them from time to time. Maybe you actually did touch them (but just for a brief second) before you disengaged for a better option……. a worse option. The only risk is that you lose track of time just like you used to.

Go to the bookstore and head directly to the section you always eventually wind up in anyway. Flip through the thousands of pages detailing the intricacies of the topic you just can’t get enough of. The stories of the bands you followed as a kid and still remember the words to most of their songs. The images of the great war heroes of the past, of the wars that your ancestors fought in. The visions of landscapes and open roads that inspired your passion for traveling. You’ve done this before, and it was a mini escape. And a little escape is just what you’ve been thinking of lately.

Go out to dinner with your friends from long ago. The ones you spent what seemed like every waking moment with, and then lost contact. The drinks, the laughs, the stories, the things you didn’t know. The realization that you really did have many successes along the way and that paved the road to your successes now.

You might relate to more than one of those suggestions. Or your resolution might take you to a time or place or setting much different. But at its core, the resolution is the same.

Go Home.