REFLECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS

Life, I’ve concluded, is a test. Not just one test but and endless and unprogrammed one. Situations and circumstances arise everyday and we’re forced to make choices. Life’s tests. Sometimes we make excellent choices and give ourselves A’s. Other times we make horrible choices and deserve F’s. As I look back on this past year, it’s time to reveal my report card for 2006.

Dating: F. Once again, I was aggressive in my search. I can’t argue that I didn’t have my opportunities, but the results were horrendous. Promising beginnings ended up horribly. Some, I’ve written about. Others have yet to be written. I guess in summation, I got dumped by a self-proclaimed MILF, I got badly used by a model, and I badly misjudged an uptown girl (unwritten story). And I wrote about countless other online disasters. I got so fed up, I canceled my online dating sites and stopped dating all-together in October. RESOLUTION. I’m going to continue my dating fast. Fast not as in speed but as in abstinence. I’ve truly lost my desire to date. I’ve been pushing hard for three years now with little to show for it so I’m going to take a step back. I actually feel good about this. I’ve finally realized that, for me, it’s OK to be alone. After the divorce I felt like the clock was ticking and I had to act quickly before I got “old.” It’s been a wild ride, but I now know this isn’t the case. I know I don’t necessarily HAVE to find a special someone. So there. I said it. I mean, you guys have been telling me for a long time now that I’ll probably find someone when I stop looking so hard. Something tells me you’re right about that. It may make for a boring year for blogging, however.

HUMA: F. You know what this is, right? It’s pronounced WHO-ma. An acronym for Head Up My Ass. And I had this affliction far too long as hinted above. What kills me most is making the same mistake twice in life. That’s what happened with the model and there’s really no excuse for it. Shame on me. RESOLUTION. I think abstinence will help me avoid HUMA. But eventually, the tests will come and I will have to make choices. Please Plantation, no HUMA this year.

Fatherhood: B+. Andy and I had many great times together. I’m hoping he can have more confidence in me as a father to talk to and discuss what’s on his mind. RESOLUTION. I guess I need to keep doing what I’m doing. I think as he gets older he’ll hopefully rely on me as a parent for help and guidance. I won’t include moving to Arizona a resolution here but I am continually exploring the option so you never know.

Work: B. No complaints here. It was a rather calm year. My only beef really is that I got no significant raise or bonus. I got to travel overseas for the first time in my life. RESOLUTION. Status Quo.

Stability: A. I needed this. I had the same job and I didn’t move. It’s been years since this has happened and I sorely needed it. RESOLUTION. This one is tough to control but again, tests may come and tough choices may have to be made.

Health: B. I might have given this one an A, but I dropped my exercise regimen about two months ago. The doctors say I’m healthy at least. RESOLUTION. Get back into my running and workout routines. Cut out sweets and junk food and eat healthier. I’m sure everyone has this on their resolution list.

Sleep: B+. I’m continually making progress here. Long gone are the months where I only got 100 hours of sleep. I’m getting 6 or 7 hours a night now which is great. My blog suffers though because I’m not up at all hours of the night writing. RESOLUTION. Devote more of my sleep time to my bed and not my couch.

Writing: C. Blog-wise, I certainly wrote my share although writer’s block cropped up at year’s end. Book-wise, I didn’t make much progress and that’s unacceptable. RESOLUTION. Make my book a priority this year and finish it by mid-year so that scripts and book summaries can be sent out to perspective agents. Blogging may suffer but I really need and want to finish this project. It’s my #1 goal for the year. Wish me luck.