Birthday Resolutions

This year my birthday was a fairly quiet occasion. I like that in a birthday. I had time to think about my life so far, and what I want it to be in the future. Various exercises and workbooks gave my thinking a structure, and what came out of the experience was a list of resolutions. Some are fairly mundane--eat right, exercise. Some are just fun--bubble baths and date night. Some are a stretch--learn calculus. Some are spiritual--spend 20 minutes a day in prayer, go to Mass once a week. Some of the most challenging are social--invite people over for dinner twice a month. I've also made the decision to take a picture of my family every day. I think that's the hardest one for me. Photos freeze the present and make it the past. It's my nature to want to be in the here and now. The present is where all the action is. I like to pay attention to who you are right now. Photos are a record of who we were, parts of ourself we just can't get back. I don't know why I made that particular resolution, but I trust the self that made it enough to haul out the camera and take a few snaps. I don't have to look at the pictures. They can just live on my hard drive.