New Year's Concessions

Happy New Year!

I have been funny. I have dealt with the holidays and every other type of merriment and celebration and festivity. It is 2010. Let's deal with real.

Last year, I made one resolution: to live the Serenity prayer. I am proud to say I succeeded in regards to that resolve. For most of last year, my decisions were influenced and my worries assuaged by applying those basic precepts to almost every tenet of my life. I am not perfect, but that one decision strengthened my resolve, and my faith in ways I never imagined.

This year is a little different. Every year, we resolve to do something different, to change something about ourselves that we have accepted, but realize is not in our best interests.

I am done with resolutions.

This year, I am working on concessions. Just accepting some things as they are, losing scenarios or not. It is somewhat tied to last year's resolution. Sometimes, you have to accept some things are as they are.

1. You have to concede that people usually are only interested in meeting their own needs. Now, this is regardless of conversation that occurs when they are on the outs with life. Once they are feeling better, however, you just have to accept it is usually all about them, and govern accordingly.

2. You have to concede that for some people, being right is usually more important than being fair, or even being happy.

3. You have to concede that life is messy, and as a result, the folk living it are not usually the neatest, either.

4. You have to concede that money is not everything, but you better have some because it may be all upon this earth upon which you can depend.

5. You have to concede the fact that all of the sacrifice and hard work in the world still may not get you what you want.

6. You have to concede that children do not always understand and you may wind up playing the fall guy. Permanently.

7. You have to concede that even well meaning people lie.

8. You have to concede that if you have a reputation for being stable, there are folk who will depend on you to remain so even as they throw the instability and madness of their world at you.

9. You have to concede some things are just a bad idea, and when you know this, let them ride. Cool peace always feels better in the long run than hot drama.

10. You have to concede sometimes, Terrence Trent D'Arby's 'Right Thing, Wrong Way" is just as much lesson as it is comedy.

11. You have to concede that in this life, some folk only know two things: dog, or be dogged. They are comfortable with nothing else, and it behooves you to keep your distance.

12. You have to concede that sometimes, it just isn't worth it.

13. You have to concede taht past is protocol and what happened before you can happen to you.

14. You have to concede that you play a role in your own bullshit.