The Resolutions of 1987

I woke up on January 2nd, 1987 ready to make my New Years Resolutions. Yes, I realize that they are normally made on the 1st but it usually takes me some time to really wrap my mind around those types of decisions. More than likely, based on my lifestyle at the time, I was probably a tab bit hungover and too tired to make any sort of decision other than which pain reliever I was going to take and which tummy-settling combination of carbs and grease would ease my discomfort.

After a lazy day and a good night's sleep, I was ready to tackle the new year. I had just turned 25 years old, I had a good job, lived in a posh, upscale apartment and was ready to make some changes in my life. Truthfully, these were things that I had been considering for some time and January 2nd seemed like the perfect time to start fresh. My resolutions were these:

1) Quit drinking
2) Start eating healthy and exercising
3) End my current relationship (although I may have been the only one "in" that relationship)
4) Figure out what I could figure out about God

Note: This is the only year that I can remember in my whole life that I have made significant resolutions and kept them.

Resolution #1 was actually quite easy. I had discovered that I had a problem with alcohol and that I generally made very poor decisions when I drank too much. So, I quit drinking. Not forever, and I did not give myself a restart date, but I wanted to think about why I drank and how I drank. It turns out, I took a 12 year break for a variety of reasons and it was good.

Resolution #2 I embraced with gusto. Being blessed at the time with a young metabolism and no encumbrances, I began eating healthy and exercising. The results were amazing; the combination of no alcohol, a healthy diet and exercise cannot be overstated. This gave me more confidence and more willpower to continue with the plan.

Resolution #3 was a bit more tricky. It took most of the first two months of 1987 to realize this goal, but certain events which I will explain in future posts made this resolution a reality by the end of February - to the relief of all concerned.

Resolution #4 was and still is an ongoing journey but I still will claim that I kept that resolution. As a young child, I attended church with my parents and it seemed we were there every time the doors opened. In fact, it seemed like we had the keys to open the doors and our attendance at virtually every function was mandatory. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it at the time and had many friends there. After my parent's divorce in the early 1970s, it seems we were divorced from the church as well and never again attended any one church with the same zest and zeal.

Nevertheless, in 1987, I made a concerted effort to reconcile my childhood beliefs with my current situation and made great strides in attempting to understand and define my faith. This journey has traveled down many broken roads and if I told you I was "all done" with #4, it would be a lie. There are many questions yet to be answered, but I am still claiming that I kept this resolution in 1987.

All of this was very necessary and laid the groundwork for the rest of the year. The making of those resolutions was truly a defining moment that helped prepare me for all of the beauty, love, trials and hard work that lay ahead.