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Dear New Year's Resolutions,

We have a long complicated history together, don't we?

I first heard about you when I was in the fifth grade and the idea of you was intriguing then. So on New Year's Eve I wrote the following resolutions (the first of many) in that diary my mom had given me for Christmas.

1. Be patient.

2. Don't talk on the telephone too long.

3. Be nice to all my friends.

4. Be a good student.

5. Don't show off like You-Know-Who. (Author's note: "You-Know-Who" was a girl in the fourth grade who wore a real bra. Obviously, I was jealous. Also, for the record, "You-Know-Who" was not her real name.)

6. Don't swear or spit.

I'm curious about these resolutions in retrospect. Was there really a time in my life when I spent too much time talking on the phone? These days I go to great lengths NOT to talk on the telephone, even when talking makes more sense than texting.

Also, did I have friends whom I wasn't nice to? By definition isn't a friend someone you're supposed to be nice to as opposed to annoying family members, such as little brothers?

As far as the bra-wearing thing goes, I wish I could go back in time and tell my 10-year-old self that the experience is pretty much overrated. Also, I would mention that going to JC Penney on Center Street in Provo with your mother to buy your first bra from a terrifying old lady with a tape measure in the lingerie department is definitely THE WORST.

And, finally, I've never stopped swearing, although I did manage to stop spitting like a ballplayer once I realized I was scaring all the boys away.

Here's the thing. Like most people, I discovered that keeping you, Dear New Year's Resolutions, is hard work. My success as a Keeper of Resolutions over the years has been extremely limited. That's why as an adult in my 30s I decided to make only those resolutions that I knew I'd keep such as a) gaining weight and b) not paying off my Visa.

Then at some point I decided not to bother with you. At all. It's true, Dear New Year's Resolutions. I ignored you and behold! Life was good.

But this year I've been thinking about penciling you in on my dance card again — sort of. Instead of setting goals, however, I think I'll make a list of Things to Hope For in 2017. Does that count? Even if it doesn't, here's what I'd like to see in the year to come.

• That I'll finally make peace with winter. (Now that I'm older and time goes by so quickly, spring will be here in 5 minutes anyway.)

• That I'll spend as much time outdoors as possible hiking or biking or gardening or walking through my neighborhood, especially when the lilacs are in bloom.

• That I'll put my money where my mouth is and invest my resources in the causes I care about in our community.

• That my knees will keep holding up.

• That my dogs will stop jumping on people.

• That I'll spend more time reading actual books and less time reading Facebook updates.

• That I'll finish that needlepoint project I started several decades ago.

• That my kids (and everyone else's kids) will enjoy a measure of health and happiness.

• That I'll find a few new things to try.

• That I'll take absolutely no one and nothing for granted.

Sincerely,

Ann Cannon

Ann Cannon can be reached at acannon@sltrib.com or facebook.com/anncannontrib.