2015 - A Year of Living Optionally

New Year Resolutions are generally broken within a few days. When I'd go biking or running on the dike near our house, I'd see lots of people out in their brand new gear - lycra this, spandex that, and dual suspension ultra light whatevers. Santa was good.

I'd see them for a few days, and then never again.

I hope I can be different.

At first, I thought about a year of living without buying anything (except, of course, consumables like food and gas). I think that would be pretty hard.

But what about every time you asked yourself the question "do I really need this?", you answered "no".

So that's the basis of my resolution for 2015.

I'm not going to buy anything optional.

That means no computers. No smartphones. No subscriptions or downloads. No shoes. No clothes. No nothing. (I'll try not to cheat and have Laura buy whatever I want.)

I hope I'll still be married in 2016.

Addendum: January 4, 2015

Well that didn't go so well. We were at another dinner party last night and I was lambasted, ridiculed, ostracised, and generally made fun of for my outrageous resolution. It appears my intent wasn't clear, and all kinds of "purchases" came up that I should disqualify myself from - movies, wine, chocolate, coffee, you name it. Bruce said it would be his mission in 2015 to make me buy something I don't need at Walmart (hence doubling my failure).

Since the first rule when you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging ... I choose to stop digging. Consider my resolution null and void, and I'll go along and do what I intended anyway - doubters be damned.

I'm glad I could add something to the conversation for the first few days of 2015.