My Mid January Resolutions

It’s a cruel and unusual punishment to make resolutions on New Years. While we lay in bed hungover and bloated from the night before’s pizza and drinks, lists run through our minds of things we will NEVER do again:

For example:

• Caesars are not a drink to get drunk with… it’s like drinking tomato soup with a full salt shaker dumped in.
• It’s a frivolous waste of money to order a pizza from the wheel… and before you receive it, call and order another just incase that large pepperoni and bucket of donair sauce isn’t enough…
• Eating a GIANT jar of Garlic Dill pickles in one sitting doesn’t do anyone any favours. (Christmas 2013 was the season of the pickle! Never forget.)
• Cats do not need Christmas presents… it’s a waste of money that could be better spend on pickles.

I was full of resolve on New Years Day to never do ANY of these things again… but as is often the case, reality comes creeping back in and we weaken… Without caesars and pickles my sodium levels began to drop DANGEROUSLY low.

So! I resolve to NEVER make New Years Day resolutions again… what a horrible way to start a year… with the shame of failing your first attempts at improvement. I just couldn’t say no to that caesar with pickle juice in it… and I will not make myself feel bad about it either…

Now that the dust has settled, and the pressure’s off, it’s the time to make some feasible resolutions for 2014 that don’t put too much pressure on anyone… and might actually be a little fun!

1. I will worry less.
This year I will not take comfort in the fetal position when I think someone might ring my door bell. This year the unpredictability of working at a restaurant will not scare me, it will exhilarate me and make my life more exciting. This year I will not fall victim to the panicky death spiral that comes from thinking your hiccups will never go away. This year I will remember that door bells, hiccups, dimes, and busy restaurants all are things that I am more than capable of handling!

2. I will accept that the Justamere’s Quesadilla constitutes a balanced diet and I will not feel bad about eating it many, many times during a week.
Veggies? (peppers and onions) Check.
Grains? (tortilla wrap) Check.
Meats? (chicken) Check.
Dairy? (cheddar cheese) Check.

3. I will stop spending money on unnecessary things.
I think we’re all guilty of this… we spend our hard earned money on silly things that really have no meaning. You can tell a lot about a person from what they choose to spend their money on. I, for example, buy clothing with pictures of animals on it, more tea than I know what to do with, and journals that I’ll never write in. I don’t know why I do it… I just do. That money would be much better spent on a nice dinner out with friends… those will be the times I remember… not the time I wore my cat shirt and no one noticed how awesome it was.

My latest modcloth purchase… adorable, but unnecessary

4. I will leave work at work… kind of.
When you’re friends with the people you work with, and even dating one (Hi Mark!) it can definitely be difficult to leave work, at work. In the past, it hasn’t  been unusual for me to come home and spend my evening staring at the wall, eating my stress, and thinking about everything that happened that day… and while I’m sure this makes for great company for my cats…, it’s just not healthy for me! I think a lot of people do this though, but I don’t want to any more! The only work I’m going to be bringing home this year will be some awesome take out Justamere pasta, salads or burgers!

Justamere Cafe’s Roasted Mushroom and Chicken Alfredo

5. I will start to believe and accept fortune cookie, magic 8 ball and my horoscope predictions.
I’m going to stop putting so much pressure on myself to figure out my future. Seriously, that’s enough. I put more pressure on myself than anyone else in my life to decide what I’m going to do next. Maybe I’ll go back to school, maybe I’ll work at the Justamere until I die, maybe I’ll move to the woods and make wallets out of tree bark… All of these options would be fine, as long as they make me happy. But for now I don’t know… and I’m going to stop worrying about it. I’m going to relax and maybe let my fortune cookie take me some where interesting.

Ouuooo “A potential for fame.” – that wallet option is looking better and better!

Whatever the reason, or the season it’s good to set goals for yourself and make resolutions. Working in a restaurant, I know that we’d never get anywhere if Eileen, Mark and I didn’t set goals for what we’d like to accomplish. There’s no need to wait until January 1st, the first of the month, or every monday to make plans and resolutions. This saturday is as good a day as any to make plans to improve myself, our business and my life. Now, I’ll probably fail some of these goals… in fact I’m sure there’s an animal print dress to be purchased in my near future, and there’s most definitely a caesar and a pickle around the corner… but I won’t feel bad about it. I’ll just try again or try something different. And if there’s anything that working in the restaurant industry has taught me, it’s that you just need to keep on trying… keep setting goals, keep trying to do better, and keep growing.