They're more what you'd call guidelines

There are some things I just don't do. Topping that list: Diets, the Chicken Dance, and New Year's Resolutions.

The first two are pretty self-explanatory, yes? As for New Year's Resolutions, I've always figured if there's something you want to do, just do it. Be here now, right?

And yet, it's the first week of January and it feels like I should acknowledge the new year somehow ...

At first, I was thinking of just recycling last year's resolutions - you know, being all green (and lazy) about it and stuff. Plus, I rather liked that list. And it's still pretty relevant. Besides, don't most people just make the same resolutions over and over again, anyway?

But then I figured if I put my mind to it, I could probably come up with at least 5 new ways to "better" myself in 2010. In addition, of course, to my annual review and update of my Zombie Survival Plans. That's a given.

Mind you, I still don't do "resolutions". These are, to quote a pirate, "more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules."

5) Try to refrain from (openly) mocking people who think the world is going to end Dec. 12, 2012 (or Dec 21, 2012 or whatever the hell it is). (This one's gonna be tough.)

4) Buy fewer things from China. (I was going to say "Stop buying things from China", but I decided to be realistic. That is MUCH harder than it sounds. Seriously. I dare you to try.)

3) Spend more time Hiking the Applachian Trail with my husband. (The ZenHusband has already pledged his strong support for this one. In fact, he suggests it should be #1. Go figure.)

2) Spend less time caring about celebrity scandals and "news". Oh, wait. What's less than zero? Okay, so, scratch that one, then.

2) Spend more time playing. (You should do this, too. Everyone should.)

1) Continue to (try to) follow these "Rules for Life". I do think the world might be a better place if more people lived by these "rules".

RULES FOR LIFE

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs: Respect for self, respect for others and responsibility for your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It's the only way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go some place you've never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
20. Never stop learning.

So, what are your guidelines for 2010? 

And, perhaps an even more pressing question: How do you say 2010? Is it Twenty-Ten or Two-Thousand-Ten? Please, discuss.

Peace,
Zen