Now that 2010 is in the rear-view mirror and 2011 is one exit away, I can shift my attention to the time-honored tradition of making my New Years’ resolutions. Every year I seem to make the same resolutions, just with different spins. Lose weight, no road rage, get my butt off the recliner and go for a walk every six months or so. And every Dec. 31st that rolls around, the same judge gets this case on his docket, to see if I have made any progress in keeping these goals.
Weight loss: I give myself a B on this one. I have still lost weight and kept it off. What was once 300 pounds of flubber is now 240 pounds of double cheeseburgers. I still need to get down to a reasonable goal of 200 pounds.Maybe if I cut of one of my legs, I can do it. But playing golf on one leg would stink, so I‘ll have to continue to do it the hard way.
Road rage: My blood pressure continues to climb off the charts when some 16-year-old in a Honda Civic cuts me off on their way to Taco Bell and crosses three lanes of traffic to do it, all the while texting on a cell phone. Look Jordan, Taylor, Tiffany, Kaylee, or whatever cutesy name your parents gave you: that lever on your steering column is for turn signals, please use it. And while you’re at it, put down your phone while driving. You can Tweet while you are parked. I give myself a D+ on this case.
Exercise: This is a tough one for me. I enjoy golf. And it is a good walk spoiled. But just getting up to go for a walk in 40-degree Kent, with a sideways rain, is not my idea of a good time. I walked everywhere as a kid, and marched my legs off in boot camp, only to find that as an adult, walking is about as much fun as getting teeth pulled. But since my doctor is going to yell at me if I don’t, and since they raised the height of the basketball hoop to 37 feet, walking is where it’s at for me. Luckily there is a pub within walking distance of my house. I give myself a C on this one.
I still have resolutions that are not new. I want to try and be kinder to my fellow man. I will continue to open doors for people, shake the hand of a veteran and thank them for their service. Laugh harder at the cute stuff that little kids do, and make my wife as happy as she makes me. I will park further from the entrances to stores, and not shake my head so much when my kid treats me like an ATM.
I will be a better man in 2011. After all it’s a long year and it just started.
Have a great 2011 everyone.
Todd Nuttman is a Kent resident and columnist for the Kent Reporter. Send your remarks to Todd by e-mailing Editor Laura Pierce at lpierce@kentreporter.com.
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