My New Year's Resolution Has Nothing to Do with Me

In twelve hours it will be 2011 and I just settled on a New Year's resolution. I shy away from the mundane: lose weight (never had much of a weight problem) stop drinking (with top-shelf tastes, I can't afford to overindulge) quit smoking (never inhaled a cigarette in my life) and of course, exercise daily (highly overrated). These popular resolutions center around self and as seekers of immediate gratification humans typically begin to feel resentful when they don't achieve positive results swiftly. At the very least, they fall back on the adolescent tactic of rebellion, resulting in massive quantities being eaten, imbibed, and smoked, or days spent lying on the couch refusing to lift anything heavier than the remote control.

Depriving oneself of personal pleasure can set you up for failure and may result in the revelation of unpleasant neuroses on top of the ones you are already aware of. I have discovered that if your resolutions are focused on others they are easier to keep and may become a way of life. I choose causes. I volunteer, donate, assist, or stand on a soapbox; driven to help others. 2011 marks my 25-year anniversary for volunteer work with abused women and children. This is a mission that is near and dear to my heart. I have mentored, counseled, held their hands, and wiped away the tears of the abused and neglected.

In 1993, I drove from Tucson to Phoenix on a work night—getting to bed at 4 a.m. and up again at 7 a.m.—to watch Merl Saunders and the Rainforest Band perform. Merl Saunders was an extremely talented musician and longtime collaborater with Jerry Garcia and he could play the keyboards like no other. During the show, he tossed me a tambourine and I handed it back to him, too self-conscious to participate. I regret that now, but at least it does not rate high on my list of regrets. A percentage of the profits earned from this It's In the Air tour went to The Rainforest Foundation, founded by Sting and Trudie Styler in 1981. I have always been a lover of the rainforest and it was this passion that enabled me to lose sleep that night and work the next day.

The recent proposal to build a forty-mile highway through the Serengeti in Tanzania in order to benefit the global trade of rare metals has revived my interest in environmental issues. The building of roads directly correlates to the devastation of the world's rainforests and this proposed highway will have a detrimental impact on "the place where the land moves on forever", the Serengeti.

Tagging Baby Crocodile 2009

My New Year's resolution, therefore, is to resurrect my environmental ideals; particularly regarding the Serengeti Highway and the ongoing struggle to save the rainforests. Happy New Year!

Monkey See, Monkey Do! Lamanai, Belize 2009

If you are thinking 1 year ahead, sow seeds. If you are thinking 10 years ahead, plant a tree. If you are thinking 100 years ahead, educate the people. ~ savethe rainforest.org