For some time now, I’ve been thinking about posting other texts here, in addition to cinema, theater, and book impressions, something like a column. This will be a series called “Is this a column yet?”. The first sample is below 🙂
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Oh, it’s begun. New Year’s resolutions. This year, I feel like they’ve emerged from behind the walls of the gym more willingly and more often than last year (which are supposed to empty out in February, when the last of our energy fades). Making resolutions is more of a marketing ploy these days. And it’s no longer about buying a magical workout outfit which uniqueness and coolness will make us lose at least a kilogram just by putting it on. No, it’s an opportunity to buy a new course, sign up for new classes, change our lives by 180 degrees (careful, not 360 degrees!), and whatever else you want.
And while I long ago stopped believing that with a change of date we get a new life calendar to fill, I admit, this time I was waiting for January 1st to leave the uncool stuff in 2025 and enter the new year with renewed energy. I mean, it was a plan from the beginning of December, and just a few days later, it turned out it wasn’t possible. You can’t lock up all the emotions or bad news in a jar labeled 2025 and start over. Well, it’s impossible, it seems obvious, and most people will be surprised by this statement, like drivers and road workers on the road covered with snow in the middle of winter.
But how is it possible? To start the new year without resolutions? Not to write down on a piece of paper titled “Resolutions for 2026” everything we were supposed to do in 2025, and two years earlier, maybe three, but somehow it didn’t work out? No. Because if those wonderful resolutions are still unfulfilled on your list, then clearly a) they weren’t important or natural for you, so you always put them off until later, and b) you didn’t have enough time and/or energy for them because you had so many responsibilities every day that it was hard to squeeze in anything you needed to do for yourself.
Besides, where are you supposed to find the energy for new things in January, when it gets dark around 4 PM and your brain automatically shuts down, dreaming only of rest? Or it’s -5°C outside and a strong wind, and you’re feeling guilty for not running again. The truth is, if you liked running, you’d tell yourself it’s just the weather, but if you have to write “I’m going to run” on a special list, it means you’re trying to convince yourself that it would be nice to move because it’s good for your health.
Resolutions and all their derivatives are only to prevent time from slipping through our fingers. So that when we go to bed at night, we don’t think, “And again, I didn’t do anything worthwhile today!” So instead of rigid resolutions, think about taking care of yourself. To simply have energy every day and be in a better mood. Take a trial month. To start, maybe something like: at least twice a week, I will find time to rest and do something that lifts my spirits. And if you don’t know yet what can put you in a better mood when the world does something very against you, dedicate this beginning of the year to finding out. Maybe it will actually be some kind of sport? Maybe reading or painting? Or doing a puzzle or crossword?
It’s important not to feel guilty about not running around the apartment with the vacuum cleaner or catching up on ironing (unless, of course, these are activities that take your mind off everyday tasks). It doesn’t have to be anything big, the important thing is to feel a smile on your face, even despite the powerful storm around you. My tried-and-true remedy is… a movie in Spanish. I love this language, and a while ago I noticed that watching even a fragment of a film in this language has a soothing and beneficial effect on me.
And it doesn’t even have to be an original Spanish film – the narrator is enough. I don’t know how it works for me, but… it does. So if you want to make resolutions this year, resolve to take care of yourself!
So, what are you planning for yourself next week? Leave a comment (maybe it will inspire others as well)? 🙂