My sole New Year’s resolution

It’s mid-January and I’ve kept my sole New Year’s resolution thus far, so I feel like it’s safe to report on it. (Reporting live from my sofa. Why did I say “report it?” Too lazy to change it. I’m officially a reporter. Mostly a weatherperson. But I know lots of sportz things too.) Anyway, this is the only resolution I made for 2019:

I will make all my/our follow-up appointments before leaving the doctor’s office, hair salon, speech therapist, dentist, etc.

Seems fairly simple (and maybe obvious to better equipped adults), but I recently realized I have a terrible habit of rushing out the door with the best intentions of calling to schedule a follow-up… and then I don’t, and then I’m scrambling to be squeezed in at the last minute. Which we all know, rarely goes well.

In the month of December alone, I managed (I was probably touched by angel or something that day) to snag a very last minute hair appointment… but only one long enough to get my roots done. The rest of my lion’s mane remained, well, wild. There wasn’t even time to dry it. And I left no fewer than 5 voicemails for Nicky’s speech therapist (I finally got a call back last week) trying to get an appointment for him. And then it dawned on me that I hadn’t scheduled the kids’ annual physicals– which they’ll need for their new school. The first available family physical (I love that they happily see both kids at once) is on my birthday. Celebrate good times, c’mon. Do do do do do do do do. Woo hoo.

Once I recognized the unnecessary stress I was bringing down upon myself (and my hair), I couldn’t un-see the pattern. And so this month, I left the hair salon with a full on appointment scheduled for six weeks out (color, gloss, trim + blow dry). We left Nicky’s first dental cleaning with a prize for joining the “no cavity club” …and an appointment scheduled for July.

It’s partly (mostly?) about making life easier. But it’s also a way to ensure that we get what we need, when we need it. It’s prioritizing my wellbeing, and the wellbeing of my family. On the most basic level, it’s self-care. So while my sole New Year’s Resolution is fairly small, fairly boring, and fairly… well, it’s something everyone else is probably already doing… it’s a big one for me. And I’m quite pleased with my commitment so far.

Please check back in February, when I will have an in-depth follow-up report from the anchor’s desk. Or maybe I’ll get one of those giant election night map touch screen things. Definitely going to wear a pant suit. And one of those clip on microphones.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Making a big pot of my favorite lentil mac + cheese
• Implementing some of the tips from last weekend’s happy/healthy winter workshop at Audubon
• Finishing up plans for Grace’s birthday party

Ok. Dying to know. Did you make any resolutions, or set intentions for the year ahead?