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Monday, January 4, 2010

Why Can't I Ever Resist the Urge to Make New Year's Resolutuions?


Like I will write a poem a day for the entire year.

Like a poem a day and at least 20 minutes of exercise.

Like a poem a day, a three-mile run, and visiting an art museum once a week with notebook in hand for ekphrasis drafting.

While I am doing all this, I will also be

(a) eating local even more than last year;

(b) reading for pleasure (a lovely novel by Marilyn Robinson or Lorrie Moore) instead of checking Facebook and email;

(c) taking better care of my hair, skin, and nails;

(d) spending more downtime with my children;

(e) writing poem ideas down instead of thinking I'll remember them in the morning (Thanks, Diane Lockward, for your reminder on Blogalicious this week);

(f) eating more legumes and high-calcium greens (collard and mustard greens);

(g) spending more time with my friends;

(h) blogging a little bit more often (and making sure to be, always, always, Educational, Entertaining, and Empowering--tee hee);

(i) writing a pantoum (for god's sake!);

[(j) ust what is it about me and the alphabet these days?]

(k) reading more biographies and letters of poets;

(l) attending more readings;

(m) buying more poetry books and subscribing to more lit mags;

(n) learning to play tennis, and, at the track, sprinting;

(o) riding my bike along the Lake every Bicycle Sunday;

(p) nordic skiing and less attention to submitting (really);

(q) laughing and sexing it up;

(r) decluttering and praying;

(s) writing more reviews of poetry books;

(t) trying to write essays;

(u) putting together a poetry class for Richard Hugo house;

(v) volunteering at a soup kitchen;

(w) spending less time online;

(x) taking better care of my back molars;

(y) spending more time birdwatching;

(z) writing more letters by hand.

(If I only do one thing on my list, I will consider myself successful. The one thing I want to do? Write poetry and get physical exercise most days this year.)

Happy resolutioning everyone (or happy un-resolutioning, as the case may be). [I know: I am ridiculous, but this is not a joke. These are really the things I want to accomplish this year. I am putting this out into the world not because I want to feel like a failure when January 5 rolls around, but because I want to refer back to this list throughout the year . . . when I realize that I have barely had time to shower or brush my teeth because all I do is tend to my kids and my students.]

13 comments:

rams said...

Go, you! (I always tell my students there's a trap door with rusty hinges in the bottom of your mind, and as it opens so your idea can fall down to the alligatore, the sound the hinges make is "I'll remember that!" and you have thirty seconds to write it down, on your hand if necessary. If, instead, you hear "I couldn't forget that," you've got ten seconds.

seana graham said...

I like your list, Martha, whatever comes of it. And I like your alligator imagery, rams. Won't forget that one in a hurry.

...Uh oh--I think I now only have about 5 1/2 seconds left to write that down.

Joannie Stangeland said...

I love your list! I am not nearly that ambitious, but I can imagine planning to do all of these (except the running part), so appreciate that you wrote all the possibilities down.

I'm just trying to write more often, more regularly (and exercise enough to lose some weight, but let's get back to that writing.)

Mari said...

Your two resolutions (exercise and writing) are the same as mine. I think we can tackle these w/out too much backsliding!

Martha Silano said...

Thanks to the far flung commenter! Would that I knew Chinese. Can anyone help me translate this? I would be very appreciative.

rams said...

Well, Babelfish says:
The cool palace spring day's melancholy - sentiment color adult novel - toot toot sentiment color adult - Taiwan sentiment color adult net - 3d animation beautiful woman plays - the sentiment color adult movie - cool palace spring day h - sentiment color adult video and music - network beautiful woman picture - cool palace spring day novel - beautiful woman to make friends msn - the cool palace spring day novel bt - 18 sentiment color adult net - star sexual affection naked photo - China sexual affection city bt area - free video beautiful woman - cool palace spring day to play violently - 18 endures the sentiment color adult video and music - 1 China sexual affection - sentiment color adult short film - China sexual affection city bt - China sexual affection city - sexual affection chart to paste - the free video beautiful womanVideo and music watching - person monster sexual affection - sexual affection true meaning - all kinds video net - free sentiment color adult picture - bbs sexual affection website - Taiwan video beautiful woman special area -

Martha Silano said...

Thanks, Rams.

It appears I've been sexted direct from China.

Martha Silano said...

P.S. Oh my gosh, is there a poem in that babel or what!?

seana graham said...

I was thinking the same thing, Martha.

Yxory - (Ixoree) said...

Resolutions! Resolutions! It's the only way to start the New Year! You Go Girl!

Paige Orloff said...

I love this post, and admire your ambition. Personally, I'm too afraid to make quite such a thorough list of my ambitions for the year--it might turn into a recipe for disappointment and self-flagellation. That said, I'm thinking in terms of revolution rather than resolution. Happy new year, and so glad to have found your blog (poetic Chinese sexting and all.)

Martha Silano said...

Paige,

Revolution: I like that! And I hear ya on my recipe for disappointment, but here it is Jan 10 and I have done better than I expected -- way more legumes & local, way less meat . . . and poetry writing and/or exercise 10 days straight!

seana graham said...

Go, Martha!