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Katie Ingersoll of West Toledo has cured herself of making New Year’s resolutions that don’t last past Valentine’s Day.

But that doesn’t mean she isn’t joining millions of other people who make New Year promises to themselves — just that her approach doesn’t involve what she calls “Type A specifics with deadlines.”

“Ten years ago, I made the decision to drop the resolutions and ‘Name the Year,’” she explained. “In 1997, it was the Year of Simplicity and I spent the following 12 months working on simplifying my life: getting rid of old stuff I didn’t use anymore, cutting up old credit cards, getting my work life in order. Every year since then, I take the month of December to look back and see how the year worked itself out, and I am never disappointed. Then I look at something I want to cultivate in my life and name the New Year.”

Her approach is a sample of the unconventional resolutions that some Toledo and area residents are making for 2007. While resolutions typically focus on such worthy challenges as losing weight, exercising more, quitting smoking, and getting out of debt, their goals seem to be more about quality of life than how many pounds are on the scale or dollars in the bank.

West Toledoan Katie Ingersoll sets a general goal for each year.
( THE BLADE/HERRAL LONG )

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Jeanne Govert of Maumee said her resolution is to do something positive each month, such as performing volunteer work for a nearby nursing home and through a photography club she joined recently.

“I usually don’t make any resolutions. I just try to live each day as best I can,” she said. For 2007, Mrs. Govert decided she needed to step it up: “We have so much negativism in our lives,” she said.

Thinking along the same lines is Nancy Dye of Fremont, who said she wants “to do something to make my little bit of the world a happier place. So I have decided that my New Year’s resolution would be to incorporate random acts of kindness into my daily life. I have always tried to adhere to the Golden Rule, but I would like to go one step further.”

Rev. Ruth Floyd, one of two pastors at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in West Toledo, said she has resolved to go on the church mission to Romania. It will be the church’s third trip, and the first for her.

As she explained in an e-mail message, “Five years ago, when I turned 65, my daughter took me to the British Open Golf tournament near Edinburgh, Scotland. This was a very special treat for me. This summer, when I turn 70, I have decided to do something for others.”

The Aldersgate group will be working at the Deborah Center, a home for abused girls, and visiting an orphanage, she said. “In February, I will celebrate my ‘69.5 birthday’ with cake and ice cream and a ‘gifts only to the Romanian Mission Trip’ reception following our Sunday morning worship.”

For Sherrie Zupancic, 2006 was a year of medical emergencies for her husband of nearly 20 years, Jim, and health problems for herself. In 2007, the Maumee woman is determined to put more fun in their lives.

Jason Allomong of Edgerton, Ohio, intends to find true love.
( THE BLADE/HERRAL LONG )

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“My resolution is to plan at least one Saturday evening a month to actually get dressed up and go out to dinner or a movie with my husband,” Mrs. Zupancic said. And she admitted that, like any good resolution, it’s not going to be easy: “We have fallen into such a rut that I think it is going to take strategic planning to pull this one off.”

Finding true love is Jason Allomong’s goal for the year.

“I’ve tried the dating scene a long, long time but to no avail,” the Edgerton, Ohio man said. “I’m ready to be a husband and father.”

A survey by a national dating service called It’s Just Lunch found that Mr. Allomong is one of many singles who are searching for a soul mate this year. Alana Beyer, vice president of the California-based company, stated in a news release that 71 percent of the singles in the survey said meeting someone new is their No. 1 New Year’s resolution. That represents a shift in priorities from 2006, when almost half said their priority was their career, financial situation, or health, the company said. Just 39 percent of the singles in that survey said their New Year’s resolution was to be more proactive about their love life and meet someone new.

MyGoals.com, a Web site that helps people set and reach personal and professional goals, reported recently that it, too, has found more people saying they’ll look for ways to be more fulfilled and happy in 2007. While health and fitness goals still are the most common, this year 15 percent of all resolutions are expected to relate to personal growth and interests, up from 10 percent in 2006, the company stated. The category includes improving one’s mental outlook, appearance, social skills, and spirituality, and spending time doing things such as reading, writing, and participating in the community.

Ms. Ingersoll, whose practice is to “Name the Year,” said she starts with a general idea that evolves over the 12 months. “You go into the mystery. You’re not saying specifics, but along the way you do really cool things... It’s more childlike. I don’t have a goal. I just play with it and see what happens.”

Since the first “Year of Simplicity,” her years have focused on hope, happiness, transformation, and commitment, among others.

“Naming the year takes the pressure off of accomplishing things and puts the focus on growing into something positive that can touch every aspect of my life. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it,” Ms. Ingersoll explained.

She has named 2007 her “Year of Manifestation” — a coming-together of all the accomplishments and awareness she has gained since she started, she said. One of the things she hopes that will include is achieving her goal of becoming a published novelist.

“I think it’s a culmination,” Ms. Ingersoll said. She compared herself to a caterpillar that’s ready to break out of its chrysalis “and in 2007 gets to be the butterfly. And I don’t know where I’m going to land.”

Contact Ann Weber at: aweber@theblade.com or 419-724-6126.

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