Happy New Year

I wish everyone a very Happy New Year. I believe that 2009 offers hope to the residents of this country and also for everyone in the world. I'm excited to see what changes our new president brings and I'll admit that I have high expectations. Change is long overdue and I can't wait to see what happens. For the first time in eight years, I am hopeful for the future of our country, and it's a really nice feeling.

On a personal level, I do have some plans for the next year. However, I do not make "resolutions" every year. I guess I may be cynical, but I see no point in that.

I consider myself an athlete, and what that means is that I go to the gym regularly, even during the cycling season. Every January I see surges in gym membership and attendance to the point where I have to wait in a queue for the barbells and universal machines, or get shut out of a spin class because I waited until 10am to reserve my spot instead of calling at 7:30am. It's annoying and frustrating.

It's annoying because I can't use the equipment freely, and it's frustrating because I know that by the middle of February 90% of these folks will have stopped coming to the gym. I don't know why they even bother. They have such good intentions, and then somewhere along the line they just stop. Maybe they burn themselves out, or maybe they forget, or maybe they let other things take priority in their lives. Or perhaps they just fall back into their old patterns or never really intended to change in the first place. Whatever it is, it sometimes feels to me like these people just try to make their resolutions to inconvenience me.

But maybe that's not fair. While I don't make New Year's resolutions per se, there are things that I would like to change about myself, and I have started making steps toward that end. I hope that I am more successful with my life changes than the hapless gym-goer resolutionists.

Time will tell. In the spirit of hope for 2009, I herby offer myself the hope to achieve my objectives and if nothing else, enjoy the process, experience the growth opportunities, and become a better version of myself without giving up any of my core beliefs.

Here's to a hope-filled and wondrous 2009!