divine angst

I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions–I don’t think people tend to keep them, I don’t think they provide real motivation, yadda yadda yadda. If you don’t really want to make a change in your life, a New Year’s resolution to implement that change just isn’t going to happen. So, notably, one of the only New Year’s resolutions I’ve ever kept was to get a new job–and luckily, I managed to accomplish that one within a month of the new year.

This year, though, I’m hoping to use a New Year’s resolution to supplement my own desire to implement a change in my life. I’ve been equipping myself properly and I’ve set reasonable goals, and I’m starting running again. My Nike+ add-on for my iPod should arrive in the next month, I’ve got a reliable running watch, and I have shoes that are comfortable on my feet. I have an energetic little dog to run with me, and the aforementioned iPod provides the music I need to keep going.

I started out, then, by taking a little jog this afternoon. And boy, am I out of shape. A year ago, this would have discouraged me–after all, what point is there in running if I can’t go more than 10 minutes without being horribly winded? This year, though, I am just taking it in stride. I am slow. I am out of shape. And I am OK with that. I’m running not so I can compete in a marathon, I’m running to take care of my body. If I can only go 10 minutes, so what? Maybe in a month I’ll be able to go 15 or 20. By the end of the year, maybe I can run a 5K. In other words, I have no ambitions. I just want to develop a good habit and integrate it into my life so thoroughly that if I don’t get my daily run in, I feel out of sorts.

So I’m phrasing this New Year’s resolution in terms of health and regularity, and not in terms of benchmarks and metrics. My New Year’s resolution is to be good to my body and to my health, for the present and, hopefully, for the longterm.

I’d like to say that the reason the Roundup is (again) on a Monday is because I thought it was more appropriate or something, and I’d like to be able to come up with a reason it would be more appropriate. But that would by lying, people. The Roundup is on Monday instead of Sunday because yesterday was spent in a whirlwind of preparations for an impromptu gathering at our place–which was a great success, judging by the number of glasses left in my cupboards (zero).

So all excuses aside, I give you the New Year’s Edition of the Weekly Law School Roundup. Enjoy reading the law student take on beginnings, ends, and what comes in between the two.

• Can you think of a better time than New Year’s for a homecoming? Welcome home, Bullshark. (A little fish in law school)
• You can’t be expected to beat the almanac. No worries! (Law School Virgin)
• All school related email can be safely ignored until AFTER the first. (Lunching with Lions)
• What better time to overhaul your eating habits than the New Year? But will she miss the cheese? (Cella Bellum)
• One day you look up and they’re all grown up. Wow. (Frequent Citations)
• Boring resolutions are probably the most likely to be kept. Y’know? (My So-Called Internet Based Life)
• It’s nice to look back on progress. (Peanut Butter Burrito)
• Check out a new blog for the new year–it comes with a glowing recommendation. (Taco’s Toppings)
• Maybe this year, you should resolve to be more wary around your siblings. (think like a woman. act like a man.)
• Good resolutions for any law student to adopt. Really good. (Thrown for a Loop)
• Resolve to keep an eye on your eyes this year. (elephant juice)
• Beginnings are great. But anniversaries are probably better. (Life, Law, Gender)
• Still, beginnings are pretty sweet. Congratulations! (looking out the fishbowl.)
• We should all try something new on New Year’s Eve–sometimes it’s a welcome change. (NOLO CONTENDERE)
• Look forward to permanence this year. (parens binubus)
• And finally, take a break from something when it doesn’t feel right any more. We’ll miss you! (pseudostoops, by the seat of my skirt)

And that’s it for the New Year’s Edition of the Weekly Law School Roundup! Look for it next week at Evan Schaeffer’s Legal Underground and, in two weeks, back here.