Resslin' Around

As 2003 turns into 2004, it's time for that annual lie-fest known as making New Year's resolutions, when everyone vows to lose weight, start exercising, be a better person, etc., only to give up around Jan. 21.

I actually made my 2004 resolution last September -- my family is going to Hawaii in February, and I thought it would be a good idea to drop a few pounds before we go, if for no other reason than I didn't want to get harpooned, while swimming in the ocean by someone who would mistake me for a whale.

The bad news is that I didn't keep my resolution, but the good news is that I gorged through the holidays, had a blast and actually added a few pounds, breaking the resolution in time for New Year's Day, when I had the opportunity to make a whole new one that I probably will never follow.

I thought maybe this year, for the first time in my life, I'd make a resolution I can keep. Actually, I made a few of them:

1. I'm going to really dedicate myself to fishing this summer. Last summer, I think I missed about seven weekends on the river, and this year, with my dedication, I plan to cut that number down to three or four, all with my wife's consent, of course.

2. In early April 2004, during the first camping trip of the season to Willow Creek, I'm not going to leave the catalytic heater on inside the tent, no matter how cold it is, fall asleep before turning it off and wake up hours later, dizzy and vomiting. Not that it happened to me in early 2003, but I'm just saying …

3. At home, I swear that in 2004, I will pay someone else to put my lawn in at our new house because if I'm going to keep Resolution No. 1, I can't waste time with a shovel or grass seed. I'd much rather have a fly rod in my hand than a bag of fertilizer.

4. I'm going to come up with a great toast for a good friend who is getting married in July, even if it means scouring the Internet for hours trying to dig up some good dirt on him, and possibly some incriminating photos, which I know exist.

5. I'm going to take a class this summer. Not at the college, however, but on the river. The professor will be Mike Coughlin, a friend and local guide who, in essence, makes me look like I know nothing about fly fishing when we're together. The man is a fishing machine, and I hope to steal some of his karma. While I'm on the "wishful thinking" thought process, I'm also going to catch a 30-inch rainbow for the first time in my life in 2004. Heck, I'll be happy with a 25-inch rainbow in 2004.

Realistically, however, I won't have time to accomplish some of these resolutions. A real resolution is that I'm going to take my 3-year-old daughter on her first "real" camping trip -- one in which we'll both pack sleeping bags, eat toasted marshmallows and stay up all night, talking about the important things in life, like Care Bears.

Another resolution is to cherish every moment I spend with my family, because as I learned in 2003, things can change in a moment's notice. Just when life seems to be going normal, everything can be uprooted, whether it come after a life-changing visit to the doctor's office or on a routine drive home that ends up 30-feet off the road.

Time with family and friends, a wedding, a new lawn and a summer spent with fly rod in hand -- 2004 is shaping up as a great year, even if I haven't lost any weight.

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Valley Life editor.