Wait a minute?

Did I actually have a resolution in 2017?

I don’t make resolutions. Have never done it.

2017 was a bit of an exception as I halfheartedly developed a pledge to myself I thought about keeping.

This was not your typical resolution.

I had no plan or desire to go on a diet, start exercising more, or get a new hobby.

Instead, I toyed with the idea of reaching out to old friends, acquaintances, and colleagues.

People I went to school with.

People I used to work with.

People I occasionally come into contact with through work. You know. The folks that give you their business cards that end up taking up space in your wallet.

My goal was to touch base with them just to see how they were doing.

Some would be very easy to find. Others? Not so much.

This would require work.

It also meant a certain amount of time of tracking people down.

And one other factor made me reconsider.

My intentions were good, but part of me said the endeavor might seem slightly morbid.

Would the individual on the other end of my call wonder why in the world I’m bothering them?

Do I need a favor?

Money?

Am I feeling guilty about something?

Am I sick?

Something wrong?

Why’s he contacting me? Is the guy dying?

Yes, I actually did ponder those very possible reactions that I simply didn’t want to deal with.

For the record the answer to all the above questions is no.

And so 2017 passed without me making a single phone call or e-mail to anyone from my past concerning the “resolution” I more or less knew I wouldn’t keep.

My New Year’s resolution, if you could call it that, bombed.

Will I try again in 2018? The odds are against it. But if you’re out there somewhere reading this and do receive a call, I can assure that as far as I know the Grim Reaper is not outside my door.

Failing on my resolution is nothing unusual.

From statisticbrain.com:

Top 10 New Years resolutions for 2017

1	Lose Weight / Healthier Eating	21.4%
2	Life / Self Improvements	12.3%
3	Better Financial Decisions	8.5%
4	Quit Smoking	7.1%
5	Do more exciting things	6.3%
6	Spend More Time with Family / Close Friends	6.2%
7	Work out more often	5.5%
8	Learn something new on my own	5.3%
9	Do more good deeds for others	5.2%
10	Find the love of my life	4.3

 

I was not alone in 2017.