"These extra pounds have to go!" I exclaim looking at myself in the mirror. Normally this would not be much of a problem if it wasn't because we are in the middle of the holidays.

Ah, the holidays. Time to overeat, overindulge, and find excuses. Not that I have anything against it, on the contrary, dieting during Christmas goes against my most fundamental beliefs. Actually, it is the only time of the year during which I don't feel guilty about indulging in my second favorite sin: gluttony. Nothing to worry about, soon the new year will be here and I will put "losing excess weight" on top of the list of my new year's resolution. You know, that list that we always write in December and conveniently forget around January 3.


I often wonder what the world would be like if we all actually remembered our resolutions past the last drink of the holidays. Just imagine, a world full of people that actually got around to start saving, lost weight, spent more time with their kids, started going to the gym, became more patient and polite, et cetera. Ah, what a wonderful world it would be.

The fact is that we give too much importance to dates: Mondays to start diets, birthdays to start doing this or that. A very unfortunate custom I think, after all any day is a good day to change for the better. But if you are one of us, and need a special date to start improving your life, start this January 1st. Let's make this new year the best of our lives.

After a year of changes, some not for the better, a year of incertitude and a shaky economy we owe to ourselves to take a break. So this is the deal: why not put "Be happy" on top the list. I, for one, know that having anything else but "lose weight" on top of the list already started making me happier.

Happy new year!


License-free photo courtesy of Microsoft Clipart.