This year for my New Year’s resolution, I’m bounding towards sober January like a runaway train.
I know, I know. I make weird New Year’s Resolutions.
For example, last year my resolution was to learn how to do a flying ninja kick. For training in preparation for this arduous task, I completed a half marathon. I never did the ninja kick. In 2013, my New Year’s resolution was to go on a date. It resulted, in a roundabout way, in the nascent entries of this blog.
This year, I made my New Year’s resolution in July (The thing about the X Files was sort of joke–but I will definitely watch all of the X Files).
I decided by the time I’m 35 I will be a published author. I know, I know. In the world of self-publishing, I’m basically at the peak of my career. Published somewhere else, I mean. Like a literary review journal. Or one of those nice creative writing magazines they hand out on the subway.
This decision resulted in me enthusiastically jumping on the bandwagon and participating in sober January.
Yes, I understand January is five months after July.
What could these two decisions possibly have in common?
It turns out it is hard to create the life of a writer. Especially when I already have the life of an over-worked high school teacher and the life of a moderately compulsive exercise fanatic and the life of an avid reader and the life of an obsessive Spanish language learner and the life of someone who has recently discovered the TV show Curb Your Enthusiasm.
I spent the fall putting weird, uncomfortable stress on my time. Over Christmas I realized I needed to re-prioritize in order to make space for all the things I love in my life. After a very helpful conversation with my boyfriend, drinking fell quite naturally to the bottom of that list. For now. Hence: sober January.
Bonus: The 7,000 articles you have read on Facebook about sober January are correct. I do have more energy and feel more clear-headed. Both of these attributes are very helpful in, well, everything. Added bonus: I have extra money for ridiculously expensive, artisan Spanish mineral water! See photo.