New Year's Resolutions Made Easy

Has anyone asked you yet what your resolutions are?

If you are like most people, you have not only been asked, but have struggled to come up with something besides making more money, losing some weight, exercising more, and being a “better person.”

All of these are very good goals – they must be, since we tend to make them over and over again!  The problem is, they take work – lots of work.  So – here are a few goals that are quick, easy, and can have just as big, if not bigger, impacts on your and your family’s lives.

First, change the batteries in your smoke detectors.  You know you need to do it – two months ago, when it started chirping and you hit it with a broom at 3:00 in the morning, you promised you would do it the next day.  It’s still hanging up there, its little eye dark and dusty, waiting for you to fulfill your promise.  Well, the time has come.  This very small task can be the difference between an annoying relationship with your insurance company and a cleaning crew, or something much worse.

Second, take an honest look at your house numbers.  Go across the street, in the dark – can you see the numbers easily?  Are they large enough to be seen in the dark from the street as you approach your home from either side?  Are they reflective?  Is anything blocking them from view?  Better yet, ask a friend or neighbor for an honest opinion – you already know where to look, so that‘s sort of cheating, now isn’t it?

If you ever find yourself in need of emergency services, the last thing you want to happen is for the responders to waste precious time trying to find you. Can you imagine what a sinking feeling it would be to look out your window when you hear the sirens approach, thinking “finally they are here!”, just to watch them creep on by, trying to figure out where you are?  To emergency workers, these numbers on your home are not ugly or obtrusive, and look just fine with your color scheme.  They are the key that allows access to you when you need it most.

So, before you tackle deciding whether or not to get a paper route, ban cookies, join the gym and improve your cosmic karma, go buy some batteries and numbers for your house and mailbox.  Then go have a cookie and watch a movie – the rest can wait until tomorrow.