May I Have a Do-Over?

A lot of people are glad that 2008 is over and are eagerly awaiting 2009 to bring better times. I’m not one of those people. By the time a person gets to be my age, you realize that time passes too quickly. I would gladly re-live 2008 (even with the endless campaign ads) if it meant I could stretch my time on this earth. There are too many hours just to enjoy life, too many books to be read, too many movies to be seen, and too many back roads to be explored. I need every minute of every day and more.

My usual resolutions about losing weight and emptying the to-be-ironed basket are being completely ignored. I’m 63 years old. Even if I lost weight I would still have floppy arms, loose jowls, and a sagging butt so why worry (apart from health concerns). The diet Mr. Fixit is on now will certainly lead to some weight loss for me, too, so I’m not going to worry about it. And guess what, that to-be-ironed basket will be full the day after I iron everything in it so why bother? I’ll continue to iron on a need-to-ironed basis.

I would like to keep my house cleaner, but who cares about the clutter when Mr. Fixit suggests that we run to Wal-Mart or to one of the nearby towns for a bit of finger-shopping. (Finger-shopping is a term my mother used when one goes shopping but buys nothing. Hmm, perhaps that description sounds a little felonious. There’s no shoplifting involved. It means you shop, pick things up, examine closely, and then put them back on the shelf.) Who cares about a few dirty dishes in the sink when Mr. Fixit says, “Let’s see where this road goes.” (I have no idea where to put the question mark in that sentence so I just left it out.)

(My one resolution should be to stop using parentheses.)

I do wish for a better world in 2009, but I’m not holding my breath. I would like to wish everyone contentment in the coming year. Happiness is fleeting; contentment lasts a lot longer.