I READ this on Facebook last year: My goal for 2018 is to accomplish the goals of 2017, which I should have done in 2016 because I promised them in 2015.
My goals are older. They have been set much earlier than three years ago. I have not fulfilled them but it was not for want of trying. I will try again this year.
I will reduce weight and trim my waistline to 32 inches. My years of failure considered, that should already be a dream, not a goal. Which is really not surprising, given the company that I keep. We’re called Walk and Talk Friendship Club but some genius added Eat to our name. We haven’t stopped eating together since then.
See? I’m blaming others for my failure instead of holding myself accountable. That has been my goal, too: to own up my failures and not blame them on others. This year, I will address it with more resolve.
I will not nap or let my mind wander off during holy mass and blame it on the priest and his ill-prepared and lousy homily. I will not fail to submit my column and blame it on the early deadline. I will not be late for my appointments and blame it on the traffic. I will not miss my early morning walk and ascribe it to lack of sleep.
I will be more tolerant. I will cover my ears instead of curse my karaokeing neighbors. I will just close my eyes instead of glare at little children running around in church and wondering where their parents were and how they have failed to instill discipline on the little ones.
I will be humble even if that is easier said than done. I will try to remind myself always that being able to bear with the failures of others is a mark of humility. So the next time the laundrywoman burns my favorite shirt, I will just grind my teeth as I endeavor to understand that she is only human. I will not get angry. Neither will I get mad at jeepney drivers who act as if they own the streets because they’re only trying to earn a living.
I will be prayerful. Unlike last year when I admonished the wife of a friend for forwarding fake news, starting today, I will just pray that she will receive the gift of discernment. When I read or hear about someone or some people doing something really reprehensible, I will pray for God, either the one who punished Sodom and Gomorrah or the one who enabled David to slay Goliath, to take over.
I will be more sensitive to the feelings of others. I will not hang up on a caller offering a special package even if I have already said no to him many times. When a beggar knocks on the car window, I will open it instead of pretend that I did not hear him even if I will not give him anything at all. I will apologize to anyone I hurt even if unintentionally.
I will dress my age. I will not wear jeans drilled with large holes because they make me look like I just got out of a war zone instead of hip. I will avoid body-hugging shirts because they only highlight my embarrassing form. I will not wear loud colors because they invite undue attention, giving exception only to the orange-colored walking shoes that Lou Umbay gave me.
Finally, I will try to improve my craft and write better.
Happy New Year!