Episode 117: New Year's Resolutions - Past and Future

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Paige: You're listening to “Coffee with Gringos.” I'm Paige Sutherland.

Ian: And I'm Ian Kennedy.

Paige: So today we're going to talk about 2021—the year we've all been waiting for all year. Basically, that 2020 will be over and as we're coming to the close of 2020, things are looking hopeful. We have vaccines that are out. They’re being distributed as we speak. I know people that have already been vaccinated. So, hopefully, 2021 will be different. Maybe we'll go back to normal or at least close to what normal used to be, so exciting news ahead. And we're going to talk a little bit about goals that we couldn't achieve during 2020, because of the global pandemic, and goals that we hope to achieve with this new year coming up. So, listeners if you get lost, check out that audio guide and transcript online. Ian—2020. What a year we've had. I think that the normal resolutions—lose weight, go to the gym more, travel more, eat better, maybe drink less—I think we all did not achieve those goals this year.

Ian: Yikes. Yeah, I would agree. I would say this year definitely threw us for a loop. And, like you said, all of those goals, those resolutions that people probably had in January, or at the end of 2019, probably didn't get accomplished, I'm assuming. I'm sure some people took advantage of it if their goal was something that involves being inside for a lot since we were in a lot of lockdown, but I would I would assume and say that a lot of people pushed that aside as there were bigger fish to fry in terms of staying alive, staying healthy, paying the rent, a lot of these things we've been worried about. Yeah, I mean even on a personal level, I didn't meet my resolution. My resolution was to read more, which I did read more, but not to the amount that I wanted to or I should have. We had all this time inside which is a perfect opportunity to relax and read but I just didn't do it as much as I should have. Not very happy with myself about it. Hopefully in 2021, I can get back to getting through more books than I did this last year. What about you, Paige? Is there a resolution you were unable to check off the list for 2020?

Paige: Absolutely. Going back to your point about being disappointed in yourself with reading more, even though you had a lot more time on your hands, I think what this year of 2020 really taught us was that that excuse of only if I had more time, we would do “XYZ” is not true. We have all had more time during this global pandemic. Most of us are not commuting. Most of us have just been working more flexible hours, if not working less, and a lot of people I feel like aren't reading more, aren't learning new languages, aren't learning a new hobby or skill. Some definitely are, but I think it's also tough being under a global pandemic that you're anxious. You have a lot on your mind, everything's day-by-day. The news is constantly evolving, the situation is evolving. I also have had goals to read more and I sit down to read and my mind just goes to all these different places. I was so distracted in the beginning because none of us knew what was happening, or what the future held, so I think we're inside a lot but we're inside a lot of our negative, anxious thoughts. So, I think it was tough for a lot of people to read more, to learn any language, even though we had the time and we were inside. My goal every year is always to wake up earlier and I did not achieve that this year. I feel like even though my workday wasn't as long, I was on my computer really late a lot of nights, staying up egregiously late for no reason, and thus not waking up early. So, I almost felt like this was one of my worst years for trying to wake up early. You just kind of have the like what's the point? Time doesn't matter, I'll just sleep in a little.

Ian: That's a good point, it's easy to kind of get wrapped up in that existentialist view of like, what does it even matter? That kind of a feeling you can feel kind of distraught sometimes. So, like you mentioned, even though we were inside more, people still worked a lot. In some cases, it was almost an excuse to work more or to do things more instead of tackling those resolutions we were talking about. Because while you weren't commuting, while other things weren't happening, you're still expected to be as productive. If you're always able to be plugged into the computer without those other distractions, then that itself can be difficult to try to reach those other resolutions if you're all wrapped up in what you're doing. Like you said, it's different too if you're doing something on your own accord. If you're doing something, for example, like reading more or spending more time inside, but it's usually more productive when it's something that you want to do. We're forced to be inside so that kind of takes away the, I don't want to say the fun of it, but kind of the self-motivation. You have all these ideas but all the factors in the periphery. It makes it more difficult to stay focused and to really reach those goals and, maybe even in a normal year, it'd be much easier to reach a resolution because we're not constantly worrying about living in a global pandemic. Like you mentioned, every time you open a book, try to enjoy it, your mind goes right back to what's happening. So, it's not so easy to just unplug in and try to get your mind out of what's happening around us.

Paige: Agreed. And going back, like we said, a lot of the common goals people have like lose weight, go to the gym—the gyms are closed, you can't go to the gym. There's places like where you are in Santiago, that you couldn't go for a run for months. You, literally, couldn't leave your apartment so, working out and exercising was a really hard goal to even achieve. Eating healthier, you’re inside all the time. I mean, I feel like I've definitely eaten a lot more this year just because of access. I'm not out commuting, I'm not traveling around working, I'm inside where it's so easy to just snack all day while I'm working. Traveling more, we literally could not travel. We just couldn't. So, some of these goals just really were not attainable at all in 2020, which I think is a first.

Ian: Exactly, that's important to mention. A lot of these too like the lose weight, it's pretty difficult when you're inside all day with, like you said, snacks and kind of asking yourself well, I can't go anywhere, I can't go for a run, I can't ride my bike, I can't go to the gym. Well, I guess I'll just watch something and eat some snacks. It's pretty easy to do. And even more than the snacks—don't even get me started on booze, on alcohol. Went way up worldwide and, personally, for myself. So funny, that's actually another resolution I forgot about. I told myself, I'm going to cut back on the drinking, I'm going to drink less, try to keep it mostly to the weekends. And then once the lockdown happened, alcohol made it to the top of my shopping list. Let's put it that way. I didn't want to go through a global pandemic sober. Definitely knocked that resolution out pretty quick.

Paige: You were not alone. I feel like when it comes to drinking too, it's kind of something where you feel accepted if everyone's doing it, and you feel ashamed if no one's doing it. So, this year, everyone was drinking so much that it was like okay, people are drinking Monday through Friday now. It's acceptable, we're in global pandemic rules so fuck it. I feel like everyone drank way more go anywhere.

Ian: When you can't do anything, when you're in lockdown, the days all kind of blur—it's like Groundhog Day. So, it's like what’s the difference between a Monday and a Saturday anymore. So, hell, if I want a drink on a Monday, like you said, fuck it—let's do it. Like you said too, its more acceptable if everyone's doing it. It really made me laugh because before the pandemic, drinking alone at your house was considered pathetic, sad. Then when all this happened and the whole world was going into lockdown and quarantine, it turned into something heroic. You know, stay home, be safe, don't spread the disease outside, be a hero and stay inside. So, I thought, alright, so before it was pathetic to drink alone at home and now, you're considered a hero if you do it, being a responsible citizen. So, I think that also was an easy way for people to justify the higher alcohol consumption, as well.

Paige: It was so odd, I like to drink, very socially though so, I rarely ever drink alone. If I do it's like a beer or two, but during this quarantine, I was alone so much that I'm like, wow I'm just drunk in my kitchen—by myself.

Ian: Why not? Exactly.

Paige: Yeah, it was odd and doing Zoom parties where you're still technically by yourself. It does feel more social because you’re on a video chat, you're conversing with people, but you turn that computer down and you're like, I'm just drunk alone here.

Ian: Right, exactly. And, like we’ve talked about before, it's really interesting to think about what this would have been like if this pandemic happened fifteen or twenty years ago when we didn't have any access, technologically, to talk to our loved ones or have Zoom parties or work remotely. We would have felt a lot more alone, and I assume that drinking level would be much higher even because of that loneliness factor we're talking about. So, I can't even imagine what things would be like if this would have happened in a different time without the technology that we have.

Paige: I don't even want to. It’s too depressing, yeah.

Ian: It hurts my liver just the thinking about it really.

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Paige: But I think, as this year ends when we look to 2021, I was reading an article, it seems like a lot of people's resolutions have changed to evolve with the times. Instead of the go to the gym, travel more, lose weight, I've seen a lot of the resolutions are save more money, budget more, get a new hobby, learn a new skill, because even though we have vaccines, we all know that it's going to take months for it to really go back to normal, if not even longer. So, I think people are going into 2021 with optimism, but also realistic that we're still going to be inside a decent amount. How do we be a little more practical and productive by learning a new skill or a new hobby. So, Ian—2021—right around the corner. What are some goals or resolutions that you have for yourself?

Ian: Yeah, that's a good one. It's good that you mentioned too that people, we're asking ourselves too, what is going to be the new normal? Because it's not going to be the same as it was before, but this gives us an opportunity to kind of fix things, correct things that maybe as a society, in general, before we weren't doing or doing right. So, I think personally, I'm going to stick to my reading goal. I'm going to make a real effort this year to actually read. Hopefully, my mind won't be so distracted by all the madness going on. I hope to get in better shape. Like I said, I've put on a few pounds because of all the beer and potato chips I've been eating—my favorite things. So, I'm going to have to control myself a little bit more with that. I'm going to have to, as restrictions lift, try to get out more, exercise more. And, of course, one of my favorite things in the whole world is travel. But again, this might not be attainable even this year either so, while I'd like to travel more, I understand it's definitely low on the priority list for everyone in the world right now. And so, my hopes aren't too high for that, but if I can do it safely, then, I'll try to do it, especially if I can go and see my family. I think, going and seeing my family is probably the top of the list for me. I don't know if you call it a resolution, just because it's been very difficult to do because of the circumstances. But for me, it’s definitely my highest personal goal is to be able to get home and see my family and friends who I love and miss so much, especially during this weird and strange time. So, I'd say those are probably mine. Probably try to stick to the ones from last year, try to drink less again and see how it goes. What about you, Paige? What's on your list for 2021?

Paige: Yeah, I mean all yours are really good. I feel like I always have the same ones too. You want to eat healthier, exercise more, but I think given the life that we're living in now, unlike in Santiago, we're heading into winter here. It's dark at three thirty in the afternoon, it's cold, there's a lot of snow and the cases that are going up here. So, I'm going to be inside a lot, probably all winter. So, I think my goal is to just be more productive with my relaxing time. Instead of just binging on Netflix on different series and movies to do crossword puzzles, to do puzzles, to read more. Just to use my brain more and less screen time which I got better at as the quarantine progressed. In the beginning, I felt like we all kind of thought it wouldn't be that long. So, I definitely watched too much TV and movies and got to a point where I was like, I cannot do this anymore. I tried to be more productive with my time but then summer hit and we could go outside more. So now going back into the cave, I do want to really focus on better use of my time. It was probably one of the big ones and I think something that came out of 2020 that whenever we do go back to whatever normal will be—more socializing outside, going to bars—I think this time taught us that we can still be close to people that were really far away from geography- wise. Once I got home, I would have weekly Zooms with my college friends that were in California, that were in North Carolina, that were in DC, that were in New York City. And these are people that I would normally not talk to that much besides a few texts. We were getting close again, just doing these weekly Zooms where it felt like we were kind of hanging out together. So, I feel like whenever life does go back to normal, a goal of mine would be to still try to keep that connection, because it is possible, and I think we forget that we're focused on just who's in our city and kind of lose those important relationships.

Ian: Yeah, that's a good point. I think it's important to appreciate. That's another resolution I would add to my list and probably everyone is going to try to do, as well. Maybe before this pandemic, I would worry about really superficial or petty things that, in comparison to what we've been living through, are not important at all—nothing to worry about. And so, I think this year has been good for me, as well, to kind of step back and look at things and say, I'm healthy, I have a good family, I have people that love me, I have friends. These are things that you shouldn't take for granted. This is a year that we really realized how lucky we are. People have been able to spend more time with their families, when before, maybe they only saw them a couple hours a day. And, you know, just appreciating health, appreciating being alive, having a home, all these things that are coming to the surface in a global pandemic like this really makes us realize all these little things that we worry about, they're not really that important. We should really focus on the big things and appreciate our loved ones, what we have. Just look at the world as we're lucky to be here, and it can go away at any time as we've seen for, unfortunately, a lot of people. That's happened to them and their loved ones. So, I think this will just be a good year to kind of reset, to really appreciate things moving forward. I think that'll be the best resolution that all of us can have collectively in 2021.

Paige: I agree. I think that's a great message to end on. For our listeners, 2020 was a very hard year in so many ways, but look up. Things are changing. 2021—me and Ian are hopeful it will be better. Positive vibes everyone.

Ian: Positive vibes.

Paige: And again, listeners if you get lost, remember, check out that audio guide and transcript online. Well, Happy New Year, everyone. Thanks for listening.

Ian: Happy New Year everyone. Have a good one.

Paige: “Coffee with Gringos” was brought to you by Dynamic English, where you can learn English simply by using it. If you’re interested in taking classes or just want to learn more, go to our website at dynamicenglish.cl. Thanks for listening.

Key Vocabulary, Phrases & Slang:

 1.     yikes (exclamation): expressing shock and alarm, usually with humor.

a.     Yikes, 2020 was not the best year for resolutions.

2.     throw someone for a loop (idiom): to surprise someone.

a.     This year really threw us for a loop with everything that happened.

3.     resolution (noun): a decision to do or not do something; goal; objective.

a.     What is your resolution for the new year?

4.     bigger fish to fry (idiom): when there are more important problems to solve.  

a.     I wasn’t worried about my resolution this year because I had bigger fish to fry.

5.     to commute (verb): travel between one’s home and place of work.

a.     One of the benefits of this year was not having to commute every day.

6.     egregiously (adverb): outstandingly bad; shockingly; surprisingly.

a.     The news became egregiously unbelievable in reporting some stories.

7.     distraught (adverb): worried; upset; distressed.

a.     The world was distraught with the news of the Australian wildfires.

8.     accord (noun): agreement

a.     He decided to reach an accord with the government to solve the problem.

9.     periphery (noun): secondary position or importance.

a.     His power in the decision changed from the center to the periphery.

10.  attainable (adjective): achievable; reachable.

a.     It’s important to set goals that are attainable and realistic.

11.  to cut back (phrasal verb): to reduce; to do something less; decrease.

a.     Next year, I will try to cut back on drinking so much alcohol.

12.  ashamed (adjective): embarrassed or guilty because of one’s actions.

a.     She was so ashamed for not reaching her resolution that she decided not to have one for the next year.

13.  around the corner (idiom): very near; about to happen.

a.     The new year is around the corner and I still haven’t achieved my resolution from the last year.

14.  to binge (verb): indulge excessively in something.

a.     People have been binging on Netflix the entire year.

15.  superficial (adjective): unimportant; minor.

a.     Our superficial problems aren’t as important this year.

16.  petty (adjective): unimportant; trivial.

a.     Our other worries seem petty this year due to the pandemic.

17.  to take something for granted (idiom): to not appreciate something.

a.     It’s important to not take things for granted that we have in our lives.

18.  to look up (phrasal verb): to think positively

a.     Even though 2020 was a bad year, we need to look up for the next year.