So, did I do it?
Some of you may have read a post I wrote during the summer of last year, entitled “.” In case you didn’t read it, I wrote of my experiences regarding my New Year’s resolution for 2013, which was to stop eating fries for a whole year. I decided to give up French fries for my health, to set a good example for my son, and well, just to see if I could (I really wasn’t sure if I could pull it off)! See, I have always been a fry-lover. There are pictures of me as a toddler eating fries from vintage Happy Meals. It was my side item of choice for nearly every restaurant meal I’ve ever had. This love I have for fried potatoes continues, and still does. However, on New Year’s Eve 2012, I decided that it was time to give myself a break from the grease and oil, and search out healthier options.
Well, 2013 is over and so is my abstinence from fries! I have come out on the other side a better person, inside and out! Health wise, my cholesterol is more than ten points lower than it was in 2012, and my triglycerides have improved (and let’s be honest, I was not very active this past year, so the “fry break” is probably what did that). My friends and family have repeatedly sung my praises for making a healthy choice and sticking to it. I too, am proud of myself. I’ve never actually stuck to a New Year’s resolution before!
The best part of this whole journey occurred during the final days of 2013. My family was excited for me and made elaborate plans to take me out for fries on New Year’s Day. We were talking about where to go, when my eight-year-old son abruptly announced HIS New Year’s resolutions. He looked over at me and smiled while he informed us that he was giving up his favorite fast food restaurant for 2014 and would be eating less French fries throughout the year.
Mind you, he’d only eaten fast food four or five times during 2013, but it’s the thought and the commitment that count. And LESS fries? Well, it’s not like he’s giving them up completely. Believe me. I asked him if that’s what he meant, and he clarified by saying, “Oh, no, no. I’m still going to eat them. But definitely not as much!”
I was so proud of his thinking and healthy decisions. I asked him what caused him to come up with these resolutions and he responded with, “I know I can do it because I watched you do it. And I know that stuff isn’t good for me, even though it tastes good. I just want to be healthy, like you.” That moment brought me a greater sense of satisfaction than sticking with my own resolution. Knowing that my choice inspired my eight-year-old to make a similar commitment was so rewarding and heart-warming. After all, as I mentioned in my earlier post, I was giving up fries for myself, and my health. But even more so, I was giving them up for my son. My hope had been that he would see that it is possible to make a healthy choice and stick to it, and that if I could do it, then he could, too!
Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2014! I hope you achieve all your New Year’s goals and resolutions!
