{"id":2247,"date":"2011-01-05T22:32:50","date_gmt":"2011-01-05T21:32:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.toomik.net\/helen\/blog\/?p=2247"},"modified":"2011-01-05T22:32:50","modified_gmt":"2011-01-05T21:32:50","slug":"non-new-years_resolutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toomik.net\/helen\/blog\/2011\/01\/05\/non-new-years_resolutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Non-New-Year’s Resolutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nI have no New Year’s resolutions but I have a few ordinary ones.\n<\/p>\n

\nForemost among them, and the root for all others, is that I will try to be happier. And if that sounds ridiculous to you – how can you just make yourself happier? – then think again, and go visit The Happiness Project<\/a>. I am not resolving to spend a whole year on mine, not right now, but just try to be happier over the next month or so.\n<\/p>\n

\nI have somehow ended up in a place where I feel life is all work and no play. I’m not depressed, but neither do I feel like I am having much fun in my life. I feel that I am passively floating along and not enjoying the journey much. I am stagnating. Not only does this make me unhappy, it also makes me snappish and short-tempered, which is not fun for those around me, either.\n<\/p>\n

\nI feel like my days and nights are full of “musts”, leaving little time or energy for “wants”. By the time both kids are in bed, I usually can’t be bothered to do anything more demanding than surf the web or play on the iPad. I have read only 4 books in the almost 4 months since Adrian was born, and none in the past 5 weeks.\n<\/p>\n

\nThis is not how I want to live, definitely not in the long run (as in, until all existing and future children have reached school age) but not even in the short run (say, until I go back to work).\n<\/p>\n

\nSo I have recently resolved to:<\/p>\n