BitterSweetLife

Some people shrug off the “resolution” thing as morbid self-immolation, and let’s be honest—there can be some of that involved. But attempting to change your life or stay the course doesn’t necessarily imply a mental beatdown. And I’m convinced, really, that a certain skepticism where our own motives and accomplishments are concerned is healthy. All this goes to say that rallying our oft-emaciated wills to a virtuous cause ought to be viewed without the dark glasses of cynicism.

So then, without further ado:

In 2005, I hereby resolve…

::: That BitterSweetLife will not go “pop.” Flirting with disaster once ought to be enough for anyone. Unfortunately, in my own experience it often isn’t, thus this reminder. Anytime I feel the temptation toward mainstream blogging creeping over me—to post, say, poignant non sequitors or some ravaged and dark inner thought life—I’ll remember this resolution. The blog must remain true to itself, pursuing topics of substance (most of the time, anyway). Pop culture never gets deep enough to be considered bittersweet. And besides, the illiterate masses are never going to stumble across this blog.

::: To age gracefully. Yeah, yeah, I know; I’m just a youngster, I still have hair, I fall in that category of the “ever-hip,” etc. But various sobering realizations struck me this year, such as My vertical leap has lost about 4 inches and I don’t seem to be regaining them. Beyond that, for the first time since I can remember, my NY resolutions do not include the perennial favorite—To play in the NBA. Don’t ask me why. I just didn’t feel like I had it in me this year. And that in itself speaks volumes.

::: To stop using satire and playful sarcasm in my posts. After much thought, I realized that quips and wordplay that some people might miss are simply inconsiderate. I ought to be more mindful of the satirically-challenged. From now on, any allusions I make will be painted with so broad a brush that even the lifetime McDonald’s employee who thinks PlayStation™ is high art will be able to make them out. After all, one of the fears that haunt me is that someone may not “get” some remark I make, and feel left out. This must not be.

::: To take the previous resolution in a manner diametrically opposed to its “face” value. And to use vivid and transpicuous* language while doing so.

Good enough for now. Four Public Resolutions ought to be enough for anyone. There are probably more, and I may post them if I can think of some way, however circuitous, that they relate to BitterSweetLife. Is anyone else out there bravely resolved?


* This word appeared in association with the Vocabulary Reclamation Project.
Transpicuous: The sense here is one of vivid understanding. Something crystal-clear and also memorable. Synonyms include “lucid,” “luminous,” “unambiguous.”