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#CatResolves: This year, I’m keeping it simple

By Catherine Toth Fox • December 29, 2015 • Musings, The Daily Dish

nyresolutions

Every year around New Year’s, without fail, I’ve come up with a laundry list of changes I want to make in the coming year.

It ranges from the super easy — “Floss!” — to the strenuous — “Finish the marathon this time!”

I’m all about change, to be honest. I think it’s important to reevaluate your life every now and again and see where you can improve. Maybe you’ve been slacking on the workouts. Maybe you’ve been neglecting your garden-turned-rainforest in your backyard. Maybe you’ve been watching too many episodes of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and considering Botox instead of pursuing your goals and dreams.

Here’s the thing: Change can be good. And change is often necessary, especially if you feel stagnant or complacent.

Last year, I had a run of horrible incidents, starting with a kidney infection that landed me in a hospital for almost a week to euthanizing our pet chicken.

This year wasn’t any better, to be honest. I suffered two miscarriages, put down two more chickens, got audited by the state, and sunk more money into my Nissan Murano than it’s worth. (I did that last year, too.)

But there have been awesome moments, too, like taking a full-time job as food editor at HONOLULU Magazine and working in a fun office with real people who can actually carry on a conversation. (Not like my dogs, who just stare at me while I eat.) I got to eat Hainanese chicken rice in Singapore, I went hiking through Kōkeʻe State Park on Kaua‘i and all over Moloka‘i, we visited our new niece in Los Angeles, Sunny got much-needed surgery on her anal glands, I learned more about fertility than I ever thought possible, I got back to writing fiction (thanks, in part, to my writing pal, Kim), I’ve made soup and pizza dough for the first time, our new chickens are egg-laying machines, I surfed some of the best sessions of my life this summer, and our avocado tree is finally fruiting.

These are not things to scoff at.

But still, like 45 percent of Americans, I’m thinking about how 2016 can be better. Though most folks target losing weight, getting organizing, saving money and ditching the nicotine habit as top priorities, I’m going for something more, well, reachable — and something more fun.

I’m going to do something I’ve always wanted to do every month for the whole year. It could be hike a new trail, cook a new dish, or finish, finally, the last books in the “Game of Thrones” series.

And I’ll post about it here. Maybe just a photo and a caption, nothing more. Just something to keep me on track.

Because it’s very, very easy — especially with three cute dogs and TVs in every single room, including the kitchen — to get distracted.

So good luck to everyone out there who’s planning to make big — or small — changes in your life. It’s not easy, but we’re all here to help!

#CatResolvesHawaiiholidaykeeping it simpleNew Year's resolutions
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About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

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5 Comments

  • Reply Annoddah Dave December 28, 2015 at 4:03 pm

    CAT: Best wishes for the New Year!

  • Reply Melissa December 29, 2015 at 2:04 am

    Um. Hello. You should resolve to drink more water!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Reply M December 29, 2015 at 7:01 am

    Hello Cat,
    You go girl!
    Happy New Year!

  • Reply Ken Conklin December 29, 2015 at 9:44 am

    Cat, I noticed that the photo at the start of this blog has a calendar with the date of Saturday the 1st circled, and the note “Happy New Year” on that date. Hmmm … Well, there is a Saturday the 1st in 2016, but not until October. I guess by then you’ll know whether the new year is a happy one, and whether the resolutions are being fulfilled. Best wishes!

  • Reply Writing Pal Kim January 20, 2016 at 9:36 pm

    Hello, yo!

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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