Although I do not make New Year’s resolutions, I do employ an on-going assessment of how I’m feeling, and respond accordingly.
Many people kick off the year with a constructive change of habits, such as going to the gym, which is already an addiction of mine, or participating in Dry January.
There was much talk of Dry January during a family vacation that spanned the end of one year and the beginning of the next. And yes, I have successfully hopped on that bus in the past. But this year, I determined that the regimen was a solution for a problem I didn’t have.
Besides, I have already put myself on a news diet, and this voracious consumer of current events finds herself a bit testy these days. I reasoned that yet another restriction could be bad for my mental health, so in defiance of the well-marketed trend, I bought some wine.
To be honest, I also bought a four-pack of non-alcoholic Negronis, and my friends, save your money and do not do this! Have some real cranberry juice with club soda and call it a night. Or a glass of wine, sipped while snuggled under a soft blanket, and read a good book.
This is how I got through January, and believe me when I tell you, I feel just fine about it.
I like a bit of change, but during the winter, it often involves cooking new dishes. I made a Brunswick stew the other day. This was originally concocted by Virginians using squirrel!
I have a lot of these critters out back, but I opted for chicken, which chef Craig Claiborne offered as the alternative, thank the universe.
I also decided to concoct an elaborate snack board for a party, which motivated me to mix it up and shop somewhere new.
This may not seem terribly exciting, but the experience was up-lifting, rather than soul-sucking.
And these days, that counts for something. ©
