I wake, fired up and ready to go.  My best friend, Pip, rolls over lazily, opening one eye just enough for me to feel his annoyance.

 

"Come on,  today's the day we take back control of our lives!"  I put as much excitement into my voice as possible.  I have to.  To convince him that I'm serious this time.  And maybe to convince myself, as well.

 

He stretches, his tail moves in a slow wag as he moves towards me.

 

"We're going to walk every day.  Both of us are getting a little chunky."

 

He stretches again, opens his mouth and lets go a noisy yawn.

 

"We are gonna go on a walk every single day.  Sometimes two."

 

To my surprise, Pip sits down in front of me, puts his paw on my knee.  He looks into my eyes and says, "You and I both know that's not gonna happen.  Maybe this week, we'll walk every day.  But after a week or two, it'll be hit or miss at best."

 

I blink.  "This time is gonna be different.  I'm ready to take charge of my life.  I've been reading about the connection between mental health and exercise."

 

He nudges me with his nose.  "That's your problem.  You read too much.  You let this expert or that expert tell you what you need to be happy.  Most of them don't know shit from shineola.  They only know what works for them.  You need to do what works for you."

 

I look into his mahogany brown eyes.  He's right.  Every year I find some magic plan that some stranger has concocted, and think it's going to change my life.

 

"Hey, buddy.  Your heart is in the right place.  You want me to be happy, and you want to feel like you're taking matters into your own hands.  I get it.  Really, I do."

 

I rub the top of his head.  "You do?"

 

"Sure.  Remember when I went through that phase where I chased my own tail?  I thought that, if I could just catch the damn thing, it would stop following me around.  My problems would be solved.  I was a naive pup then."

 

I smile at the memory.  "So, what you're saying is that me making resolutions is like you chasing your tail."  I have to hand it to him, it makes sense.

 

Pip licks my hand, his tail wags a bit more.  "I just want you to be happy.  That's it.  If you want to walk, I'm up for it.  If you want to sit on the couch in your sweatpants and eat nachos, baby, I am up for that, too."

 

"I do think I'd like to walk."  I go to the back door and pull his leash off the hook on the wall.

 

"Oh, just one more thing.  Earlier, you mentioned that we were both getting chunky.  I haven't gained an ounce since my last visit to the vet, when, I might add, she said I was in perfect shape.  So, I'm just going to let that go.  Now, come on, let's get walking."

 

The end