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Resolutions for 2009 by Susan Ellingson

In January, many of us feel the need to make resolutions even if we know we won’t keep them longer than a month, if that! But that doesn’t mean we should give up altogether on reforming our ways. Here is a list of simple things you can really do to make your life better. They will improve your outlook, your health, your sense of style and your sense of humor. Best of all, they don’t take much time and are easy to do.

Make soup. What is better in the winter than a hearty bowl of soup? There are great recipes all over the Internet, in cookbooks and from your friends. Make a monster pot of soup, combine with a salad and bread, and you have a super winter meal. Share some with a friend.

Clear off your dining room table. Every day. Really. Don’t you hate how all the horizontal surfaces in your house seem to collect stuff? (At least in my house they do.) Each day, clear the table off, put a tablecloth or a bowl of fruit or flowers in the center, and your whole house will look better.

Learn something new. Learn to ski, knit, needlepoint, pot plants or cook the perfect gumbo. Just find something that you commit to learning during the next year, so you can look back with a sense of accomplishment.

Get a motto. For the past four years, my sister and I have created mottoes to get us through the year. They range from silly to bizarre, but we pull them out in times of stress and they’re all we need to say to make us laugh.

Watch a television show. I know, in Seattle, admitting you watch television is akin to saying you don’t recycle or that you hate fleece. But really, there are some great shows out there that can take you out of your world for one hour a week, and intrigue or entertain you. If you don’t have a television, try Hulu.com. You can use it to watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and know what everyone who gets cable is chuckling about.

Clean out your closet. This is the best single thing you can do. Empty EVERYTHING out, and then don’t put anything back that you haven’t worn in a year. Then look at it again, watch an episode of “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style,” and pare it down even more. Bag up the leftovers and consign or donate them.

Buy a new purse. Something that is not brown or black, doesn’t hang from a long thin strap or look like a wallet on a string. Buy something colorful and fun, that you can use with everything.

Get a haircut. Even a trim. If the economy has you down, call a small neighborhood salon. Many offer cuts for less than $30, and you will feel and look better.

Read a book. Buy a book. Check out something in a genre you’ve never tried before. You might be surprised how much you like something different. And even if you hate it, it’s just a book. Donate it to the Seattle Public Library’s book sale — no guilt there.

Take a walk. Most of us are not going to commit to working out three hours a day. But most of us can take a walk every day. Even around the block, or on a lunch break. It helps clear your head and, who knows, you may like it so much you’ll start walking farther every day.

Go shopping. Locally. We still need carrots, pet food and socks, right? Support a local merchant or the Farmers’ Market when and where you can. Otherwise, the things that make your neighborhood great might not be there when you want them to be.

Stop watching, reading or listening to the news for three days. Seriously, sometimes we just need to turn it all off. If something major happens, I am sure someone will clue you in.

Oh, and one more thing. Keep reading and supporting Seattle Woman! Have a great 2009.

When Susan Ellingson isn’t working at Seattle Woman or at her other part-time job, leading Girl Scout troops, volunteering for her children’s schools, driving her children, not cleaning her house or taking care of pets, she shops.

©2009 Caliope Publishing Company