You know when you're in college, and some festive night out ends up with a drunken water fight in a fountain, and you plod wetly all the way home and peel off your drenched socks, and they land in the corner with squishy thud?
That is pretty much how 2007 set upon us in central New Jersey; after several bottles of wine on New Year's Eve, we awoke to a soft, steady rain that flooded the yard and trapped us inside for hours. Luckily, we were at my sister's house, which has three floors, a furnished basement, and a kitchen as big as a car dealership. So Robert and I availed ourselves of the decadent space and played many rounds of Run and Scare, Flip That Boy, WrestleBall, What's That Next to Your Head?, and Ultimate-Triple-Decker Hide and Seek, in which the hider had 20 seconds to secrete himself anywhere in the entire house. This makes for a unique challenge, because when Robert is counting, and I'm wearing socks, and most of the main floor has hardwood floors, and I'm carrying a beer, 20 seconds isn't all that long.
Each of us followed a rather predictable hiding pattern. Robert liked to be under things, preferably those that allowed him to scrunch into a fetal ball. My M.O. was to hide where I could either 1) get a quick nap or 2) watch football. We played for about an hour before Robert discovered that his aunt's Christmas lights have a remote-control on/off switch, and he thought it would be a hoot to turn the lights off and tell everyone they were broken.
Much is made about resolutions at this time of year, and I support them whole-heartedly. If you tell me you're going to learn Italian, or get a better job, or stop eating a log of cookie dough every night, I will not pooh-pooh you. No pooh-pooher am I, because the decision to improve our lives tells us we have hope. We still believe life can be better. And that's what will drive me this year, to live as well and as authentically as possible.
You're going to see a lot more of me than you're used to in '07. Except when I'm hiding behind the couch.
[EDITED TO ADD: Yes, I've published this a third time. For those who are wondering, I have not made a resolution to stop giving a shit about grammar or syntax.]
