New Year, New You



It's a funny thing when you really think about it.....if you're at all like me, there are two days in our lives when we think about renewing ourselves: our birthdays and New Year's Eve.  What is it about the click of that clock at midnight or the day on the calendar that marks our birth that makes us feel like starting anew, being better, healthier, learning something new???  I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I dig it.  A new start.  A clean slate.  A fresh look.  Ahhhhh....it's the beautiful face of optimism!

I gave up on New Year's Resolutions loooong ago, when I realized that I never stuck with it.  Always the usual: eat healthier, work out more, watch TV less.  Then by February I'm back on the couch with a burrito, a Real Housewives marathon (don't judge me!), and the new workout video still neatly wrapped in pastic in the spot where my Christmas tree used to stand.

A couple years ago I got the idea to change up my look at New Year's Resolutions: to DO something.  One year it was to send birthday cards through the mail and not via email or facebook.  Another year it was to take more pictures of friends and family times together.  So what about this year?????

I sat down tonight to watch a movie...a lovely little chick flick that I would never ask my boyfriend to sit through (the only resolution I've kept for decades!) and I saw this "trailer."  I thought it might be for a documentary, and I was excited to add it to my queue.  Turns out, it was a kind of PSA.  I think it's beautiful, and the last man who speaks in it actually touched me the most..... please take two minutes and 15 seconds to watch.

http://www.wecanbeheroes.org/


I ate A LOT over that glorious week between Christmas and New Year's.  I'm not ashamed or guilty, though my belt is a little pissed at me currently.  But now we're all back in the real world.  A world where we never have to wonder where our next meal is coming from or when that will be.  So maybe we can give a little to those who are in need.  Those who don't know when they will eat again.  Those who need that meal more than we need that next latte.  It can be that simple, that small.  Maybe just give up your latte for a week and give that money to www.WeCanBeHeros.org or www.FeedingAmerica.org.  Maybe you can just buy a couple more cans of soup on your next shopping trip and donate them to your local food bank.  For your next birthday, why not have a party and invite friends to bring non-perishable food instead of presents, that you can deliver to a shelter, food bank or local families in need (most schools know who can use some aid).

So if you haven't figured it out, this is my resolution for 2013 (and beyond).  And I hope you'll join me.

I'll still be here sharing healthy, delicious recipes with you.  But I'd like to remain mindful of how lucky I am, the wealth of friends and family that surround me and pay that forward even just a little bit.  Hope you'll come along for the ride.....