So far, so good. Sort of.
Without much forethought, I made a New Year’s resolution this year to only drink water. No soda. No juice. No coffee. No alcohol. Just water.
The draconian denial is pretty typical for me, who arbitrarily makes ascetic resolutions to deny myself from what I view as unnecessary indulgences. In high school, for instance, I gave up hot showers for about two and a half weeks (which probably ended up being a defensive measure). And in college I wanted to see how little I could eat and still get by – both because I viewed our society’s waste as an excessive misuse of inherently the most valuable thing in our lives and because it would save money.
Although I now take hot showers and bust at the seams after a good Chinese buffet, I still don’t like indulging myself too much. I dislike the beach because it makes me feel lazy and I’d much rather read non-fiction because I think it’s a more productive use of time. (And my showers are short and my meat intake is measly).
But back to my point. Even though I’m doing relatively well with my resolution (I’ve decided to drink coffee on weekends but other than that am sticking to it), I know I’ll probably end up struggling and caving in. And that’s OK because I know I’ll learn a little something about myself and will feel proud of my ability to deny myself.
It’s not like I haven’t caved in before. In 2006 I didn’t want to burp out loud for a whole year and in 2007 I wanted to read the bible the whole way through. Failed both of those.
But I’ve also kept some resolutions, including stopping biting my nails and learning more about Judaism.
According to google, only 8 percent of Americans successfully achieve their New Year's resolutions, with 45 percent failing by the end of January. At least I’m doing better than that.
Without much forethought, I made a New Year’s resolution this year to only drink water. No soda. No juice. No coffee. No alcohol. Just water.The draconian denial is pretty typical for me, who arbitrarily makes ascetic resolutions to deny myself from what I view as unnecessary indulgences. In high school, for instance, I gave up hot showers for about two and a half weeks (which probably ended up being a defensive measure). And in college I wanted to see how little I could eat and still get by – both because I viewed our society’s waste as an excessive misuse of inherently the most valuable thing in our lives and because it would save money.
Although I now take hot showers and bust at the seams after a good Chinese buffet, I still don’t like indulging myself too much. I dislike the beach because it makes me feel lazy and I’d much rather read non-fiction because I think it’s a more productive use of time. (And my showers are short and my meat intake is measly).
But back to my point. Even though I’m doing relatively well with my resolution (I’ve decided to drink coffee on weekends but other than that am sticking to it), I know I’ll probably end up struggling and caving in. And that’s OK because I know I’ll learn a little something about myself and will feel proud of my ability to deny myself.
It’s not like I haven’t caved in before. In 2006 I didn’t want to burp out loud for a whole year and in 2007 I wanted to read the bible the whole way through. Failed both of those.
But I’ve also kept some resolutions, including stopping biting my nails and learning more about Judaism.
According to google, only 8 percent of Americans successfully achieve their New Year's resolutions, with 45 percent failing by the end of January. At least I’m doing better than that.
8 comments:
Question: Where does beer fit into your equation?
I admire your moral fiber and come spring I will be riding my bike three times a week (14 miles each time) for the benefit of my and the planet's health.
Good luck and keep it up.
Upon a second reading, I see "no alcohol". Hmmm...
Is the bottle in the foreground the result of the consumption of the bottles in the background?
Was the swearing off of the hot water an energy conservation measure? Or purely stoical for the purification of the sole? If the latter than that makes me think you are more Catholic than you realize.
Why hello all! First off, the liquid in the first bottle only looks yellow because of the reflection of the table. (Although, come to think of it, I didn't swear off drinking urine...).
And while I now only use hot water sparingly because of energy usage (short showers, cold water when washing face/hands, etc.), in high school it was purely a denial tactic. Other than the baptism, I've had no (conscious) religious ablutions that I'm aware of.
"The draconian denial is pretty typical for me, who arbitrarily makes ascetic resolutions to deny myself from what I view as unnecessary indulgences."
Did Dennis Miller wright this blog post?
It makes me think of the the Family Guy episode where Peter is watching Dennis Miller Live and Dennis says, " I don't wanna go on a rant here but America's foreign policy makes about as much sense as Beowolf having sex with Robert Fulton at the first Battle of Antetum. I mean when a neo-conservative defenstrates it's like Raskalnakov filibuster dioxymonohydrostinate." And then Peter says, "What's a rant?"
But to your post I don't have the luxury of asking what a rant is.
The Amish are German too and they've made a religion of denial and doing without. Maybe when you come back to the states you can live among the Amish and do without electricity, motors of any kind (cars), email, computers, etc. for a year. You can take cold showers and work on the farm and drink only water and finally get around to reading the Bible. Hey, and live in St. Mary's County near your mom!! Sounds good to me!
But, seriously, i wonder what will be the toughest temptation...the coffee, the beer or the wine?
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