What is it about New Year’s resolutions that make them so hard to keep?

Come the last few weeks of December, we’re flooded with articles about how to become better in the New Year. We can become more physically fit, improve our minds, make more lasting friendships, eat better, sleep better, you name it. And every year I resolve to take up the challenge of one or another.

Like many of us (I’m sure), this year I resolved to ramp up my exercise. Already my plan to jog daily has been torpedoed by some morning snow. “I can’t possibly run outside in the park if it’s slippery,” I told myself. The snow, such as it was, stopped and the sidewalks are absolutely clear but now it’s too late in the day. “No way I’m going to run now, when it’s so gloomy,” the right visual side advised the left analytical side of my brain.

So my daily jog resolution bit the dust.

I also resolved to eat more food containing Omega-3’s, knowing they are always on the top of the “Healthiest Food” lists.

That resolution, so far, is still hanging on, but just barely. Last night, faced with the option of a leftover salmon filet for dinner or an omelette, I opted for the eggs. It was one of my best omelettes, and I felt some pride except when I later looked at the shunned salmon filet on the shelf in the refrigerator. I told it I’d have it another night. Although then I’ll have to decide if it’s still safe to eat, given how long it’s been in the fridge. Probably not. Can a salmon filet scowl? I closed the fridge door harder than I needed to.

Good luck with your resolutions.