The Guilt Trip

After a weekend spent ice fishing, I find myself feeling somewhat guilty. It's not so much that I took time off of work to enjoy the winter wonderland that surrounds me. Nor is it that I feel remorse for the fish I caught and ate. Because... well... I did neither of those things. Let's be honest here – in Northern Maine it's far too cold to spend a weekend sitting on a frozen lake with rod and reel. And given that my favorite fishing hole is despairingly fish-less, I think it's safe to say that my guilt does not stem from a loss of productivity, nor any deceased fish.

No, the sense of guilt comes more from a certain level of personal disappointment. You see, like most men, I use the term “ice fishing” to mean something more along the lines of, “I'm going to the lake with the boys. We're going to eat junk food, drink beer, and watch bad TV. See you Monday!” Which in effect means I broke all of my New Year's resolutions within one week of making them. And that is where the guilt and disappointment come into play.

Luckily, I think it is safe to say that I am far from being the only person who broke his resolutions so quickly. And I propose that we rename today National Re-Resolve Day – a day to forgive this past weekend's indiscretions and get back on track.

So if this past weekend you ditched the diet and used fried chicken as bread, forgive yourself and start anew today. If you drove past the gym to get to the Krispy Kreme on the other side, forget about it and go hit the treadmill this morning. And if you went ice fishing with me instead of repainting that bathroom, I apologize to your wife for leaving you hungover and smelling of bait.