Bring the Ouija Board, Maggie. We want to find out where Mom hid the jerky treats.

A few years ago, I made a decision to give up making New Year resolutions. Each preceding year, I had made the same five resolutions that I think most people make.

Lose weight – How do you spell Yo-Yo?

Get organized – No need to add it to the list as this is my year-round quest.

Start an exercise program – Start …stop ….start ….stop ….(you get the picture)

Eat more vegetables, less junk food – We’ve actually made a little progress on this.

Start saving money – My dear, late mother used to say, “Debbie can pinch a penny so tight, she can make Lincoln cry.” Enough said.

If a person’s own backsliding and procrastination aren’t enough to disrupt New Year resolutions, there are always the unknown, unforeseen, and unplanned saboteurs that “pop up” when you least expect them. Saboteurs can be good or bad.

Take last year for example. We planned on Nathan retiring. (Good) We didn’t plan on him getting a hernia and having to have surgery for the first time in 60 years. (Bad). My son decided to go to graduate school while continuing to work full time. (Exhausting, but good). My 87 year old father passed away. (Bad)

Just this past week, I’d planned a day of writing when the phone rang. The lady on the phone explained that our governor, Steve Bullock, was doing a phone conference about healthcare bills concerning Montanans and wanted to know if I would like to ask him a question. You Bet! Yes, I had to wait in the queue, but it was worth it. (Good)  The next day, both microwaves went out. (Bad)  The following day, I slogged to town and spent half the day hunting for the perfect microwave (at a discount, of course).

So you just never know what will pop up and play havoc with your plans or resolutions, which gives someone like me,  a planner by nature, reason enough to abandon making resolutions. So, without a crystal ball or fortune teller to show me the future, I’ll stick to goal planning instead. It’s a better use of my time and makes life’s “pop-ups” easier to integrate into my life plan for 2015.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful 2015,

Deborah

Breaking TWIG
Available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook

Deborah Epperson