Eye of the Storm
New Year's resolutions tough to keep
Robbis Storm

A former Lampasan, Robbis Storm is a world traveler and restaurateur. He can be contacted via e-mail at RStorm453@aol.com.

I hope you're doing a better job than I am keeping your New Year's Resolutions.

More than a week has gone by and I still haven't lost five pounds. In fact, I haven't lost one pound. Shoot -- I may have even put on a few ounces -- thanks in part to the bounty of the holiday season and my appetite for Miriam's wonderful chocolate fruitcake.

Every year it's the same thing. I come up with a list of life changes I want to make. And every year I manage to break them -- or at least some of them. But, I sometimes manage to make a few of them work.

By the way -- if you're having trouble keeping a promise you've made to yourself, just remember Mark Twain and his cigar habit. "Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world," he said. "Why, I've done it thousands of times."

It didn't take me quite that long, but I did quit smoking four or five times before it took. Now it's been almost 30 years since I last smoked a pipe, and much longer for cigarettes.

Here's a few more life changes I'm working on. Wish me luck.

Get some exercise. I want to do something active at least six days a week. Maybe hike two miles on three days, and lift weights the other three. So far Miriam and I have taken a couple of short walks, but don't look too close at the barbells. You'll see cobwebs.

Do half an hour of yoga and/or meditation every day. This one is easy. Miriam and I have been doing the yoga for some time now, and I recently added a few minutes of meditation. By the way -- if you've never done yoga, you might want to give it a try. Even if you're outof shape, stiff, and as advanced in years as I am, it's amazing how much more your body can do after only a few short weeks. And even more amazing is how much better you feel.

Spend more time with my mom. She's been in a nursing home since a heart attack last August. Her 97th birthday comes up soon. We plan to make our annual visit to Enchanted Rock, but there's no chance of her climbing to the summit. I think we'll have to be satisfied with beautiful scenery, fresh air, and a picnic lunch.

Spend more time with my daughters. Especially my younger daughter, Laura. After their one-year, round-the-world jaunt last year, she and husband Marc moved to Dallas. So I need to get up to Big D more often -- especially since they're expecting their first child in March. We're expecting a boy, by the way.

Spend more time with my grandkids. Every minute Miriam and I spend with Emma and Sarah is a treasure. I want to take them fishing more often, and we need to plan more outings like visits to the San Antonio Zoo.

Write or call my friends. This is one I really feel guilty about. I have many people dear to me who reach out with letters, cards and phone calls. I'm ashamed that I don't often do the same with them.

Spend more time in my kayak. Virtually every hour on the water is a good hour, and I don't know a better way to enjoy the lake. When you're in a yak, you're at one with nature. And it's also good exercise.

Continue learning. It's been years since I've sat in a classroom, but the "Great Courses" series from The Teaching Company is currently on sale. For as little as $40, you can order a set of CDs (DVDs cost more) that contain an entire university semester's worth of lectures on science, math, literature, history, religion, economics or philosophy. One that caught my eye was the DVD version of "The Joy of Mathematics." (If you're interested, visit www.thegreatcourses.com.)

As I said, I hope you're having the best of luck with your resolutions. Especially if you're trying to cut back on coffee, lose weight, or fight an addiction like drugs, alcohol or tobacco.

We all know resolutions are easy to make and hard to keep. But I keep on trying because there's always something I can do to make my life -- and the lives of those around me -- healthier, happier and simply more fun.

So I will clean my office. I'll tidy up my desk. I'll organize my closet and pick up the socks and Tshirts so you can navigate through it without a map, compass and GPS. And I'll lose a couple of pounds.

Promise.