Five ways to resolve to have a little more fun in 2023
The new year. The new calendar. A fresh start. A new page.
It’s a great chance for us to claim as a definitive date where we sulk in listing all of our bad habits and promise ourselves to be better, happier, smarter, thinner and healthier people starting Jan. 1. So we make resolutions that require pain and suffering with such lofty ambition we give up and quit before we even hit February.
Here’s the truth. Most everyone would like to drop a few pounds and save a few dollars. We really do yearn to be better versions of ourselves, but when we set unachievable goals, we set ourselves up for failure. And failure is not fun. It’s almost as much misery as dieting.
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What if we changed the outlook on resolutions? Instead of trying to fix what’s bad, what if we made the good things better and resolved to add a little more enjoyment in our lives? Here are five suggestions for resolutions that might make anyone stand a little taller, smile a little wider. (As long as we don’t stand a little wider, right?)
Card game, exotic cooking, houseplants, jokes
Resolution of fun No. 1. Learn to play a simple card game. Carry a deck with you and the next time you’re stuck waiting in a boring place, take it out and see if anyone wants to play. A great one is Crazy 8s, most everyone has played it in some form.
Resolution of fun No. 2. Learn to cook an exotic dish from a place you’ve never been. Maybe it’s something Hawaiian. Or a steamy curry. Or maybe you’ve never been to Cincinnati and have always wondered about that chili they rave about. Better yet, serve to a friend.
Resolution of fun No. 3. Get a houseplant, preferably a succulent because if you forget to water it once in a while you can just remind yourself that it’s kind of a cactus and they live in the desert so it’s ok. Also, give it a name. Something fancy, like Evangeline or Aurelius.
Resolution of fun No. 4. Learn about five to seven good jokes or riddles to keep on hand in case anyone needs a quick chuckle or a groan. Make sure at least 50% of them are “dad jokes” including some like this: Knock, knock. Who’s there? Nobel. Nobel who? No bell so I just knocked.
Resolution of fun No. 5. Tell someone else how much more fun life is when you tell bad jokes, talk to plants, and travel to exotic places through food rather than to drink more water, go on a diet, or the dreadmill treadmill. Bonus points if you tell them over a rousing game of Crazy 8s.
Reach Karrie McAllister at mckarrie@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Stand taller, smile wider: Make resolutions good things will be better
