2016 isn’t just the year of the Red Monkey; it’s the year of Double Dipping.

It’s the start of a new year and with that undoubtedly brings a new set of resolutions that within a month I will no longer adhere to nor remember. But this year is going to be different as I have thought of not just one thing I’m going to change about myself, but three.

Resolution 1

I resolve to double dip.

I should qualify that by saying I will double dip with my own condiments, not those in a shared setting. I came home one night after drinking and decided to make a wrap as I was out of my go-to Celeste’s frozen pizza. The wrap required mayonnaise and (as I have a tendency of doing while drinking), I decided to use more than the recommended portion size. I was about to stick the spoon back in the jar of Hellman’s when I stopped and thought (which is not something I typically do while drinking), I had already put the spoon in my mouth and therefore it was, *gasp*, dirty. That’s when it hit me, what am I afraid of, getting my own germs? I live alone. I share nothing in my place with a single living soul (not even a mouse thanks to my exterminator, Mohammed). Why do I hold on to this notion that my place has to be suitable for an unexpected visitor at all times? I’m not sure when or why it started but up until a week ago it’s what I fully believed.

A guest may stop by so I should……

            Keep my bathroom clean….

            Not leave any important documents out…

            Don’t double dip…

            Don’t drink out of the container…..

What a bunch of nonsense! No one comes over to my place, ever!

Consider yourself warned if you come over to my place because the condiments and beverage containers are not safe. You may see some opened mail on my desk and there may even be some toothpaste marks on the bathroom mirror.

Nowadays I drink out of the Tropicana bottle and I eat straight out of the Jiff container. Since I’ve come to this realization that I have no one to be on guard for 24 hours a day, my dish washing has decreased significantly which means I’m using less water, which means I’m helping the environment.  I think we can all agree that when sloth-like behavior turns out to be helpful for the environment it’s a win-win situation.

Resolution 2

I resolve to use the new stuff.

Another antiquated notion that I have stubbornly held on to was that I’m not good enough for the new stuff. This goes for most items that I own. I’ve noticed that when I get something new I keep it in the original box, container, packaging and put it away. I won’t use it. Take for instance a kitchen knife that I received at an industry event. It wasn’t even a gift from a friend or a family member, it was a free take-away. That knife remained in the original plastic packaging until about two months ago; I got it back in 2013. When I finally opened it up and started using it I was amazed at how well it cut my produce. Never before have I sliced a tomato so effortlessly! And here it was sitting in a drawer for years. Why? Because I thought that there would be a perfect time to use it and to do so otherwise would be a waste.

But it doesn’t stop at the kitchen knife, it goes much further. I have found numerous pairs of new socks that I never wore and instead wore socks that holes in the toes. I was walking around like a pauper. My sister finally addressed the issue one day and asked why I always had holes in my socks when she knew I had new socks as she herself had given me a few pairs. I had no answer. For some reason I felt that the old stuff is just fine and I should save the new stuff for the right moment, event, party, person, holiday; (insert your own excuse here).

Since this epiphany I now have new sheets on my bed, new towels in my bathroom and kitchen, new throw blankets on my sofa, new coffee mugs, new Tupperware, and my favorite, new underwear. I had no idea I had so many pairs of new underwear (still w/the tags on them) in my drawer.

I learned that I’m worthy of using the new stuff. I don’t need a reason or a person or an event to justify utilizing something brand new on myself. It’s just me and it’s just a Wednesday. Since I’ve applied this philosophy I’ve been wearing all of my new underwear and every day feels like Christmas.

Resolution 3

Spending more time alone. Being single you would think I spend a lot of time alone but it’s actually quite the opposite. I spend a significant amount of time with people. I have become an expert at keeping my schedule full of activities, be it the gym, taking a class, a networking event or time with friends. In the process I forget to schedule time alone. It sounds silly but for me being by myself is very important. It gives me time to rejuvenate, reflect and relax. I have a lot of interests and many of them never get explored beyond adding a note in my Outlook or buying a book on Amazon that never gets read. I get so caught up with scheduling things and planning the next outing that I never take time to just explore a hobby or a passion, (like writing on my blog). We all know what we need and we all need different things. I know that I need to be around people the majority of the time, but I also need some downtime to recharge my batteries and explore new things on my own path of curiosity. I would like to think it’s what keeps me interesting to my friends and family and clients. I don’t ever want to stop learning. I don’t ever want to be afraid of trying something new. And for the love of all things holy, I don’t ever want to be called boring.

Here’s to fantastic year of drinking out of the bottle, wearing the new stuff and keeping ourselves interesting! A votre santé my friends!