Make your New Year's resolutions fun this year

What would you like to do in 2008 -- pay off debt, lose weight and quit smoking? Or would you like to learn to windsurf, catch a tarpon or enter a kayak race?

Surveys say later would be more fun.

And what's wrong with making New Year's resolutions fun, anyway? Or rather, at least make them outdoors-focused.

But, of course, resolutions wouldn't really be resolutions without some degree of effort. So now, here are some suggestions that take work. I picked six because six has been a lucky number for me, and to accomplish a resolution takes a bit of luck.

1. Get certified in scuba: Diving in the Keys sounds great until you think about committing to a dive-school experience. It takes money and time. But we live so close to the coral reefs of the Keys and our own fabulous artificial reefs that it'd be a shame to never experience them.

2. Wear your life vest. Boating fatalities happen primarily due to drowning. If you hate your life vest because it's bulky and hot, go buy a new, inflatable kind that you will wear because it's light weight and hardly noticeable once you get into the habit of wearing it.

PHOTO STAN NELSON SPECIAL TO FLORIDA WEEKLY Many kayakers like these in the 2007 Midpoint Paddle Sprint on the Caloosahatchee River were newbies to racing. Make your resolution now, and consider entering one of the half-dozen local competitive kayak events in 2008. For Information, call (239) 433-3855.

3. Enter a kayak race. If you only canoe or kayak to take pictures of birds, or if you only get in paddlecraft to leisurely meander, forget it at least once for '08. It's a trading places experience to compete. The first time my hubby and I entered a race, I kept thinking, "Gosh, I'm missing a lot of bird watching here because I have to paddle so fast." But in the end it was a good workout and I felt like I earned my next beer. That said, I've not entered a race since. But you only have to do it once.

4. Keep a log of the hours you use your boat engine. It's the prudent thing to do, come time when you want to sell. Or, to remember when to take the motor in to get serviced.

5. Vow to take out your boat at least once a month. How often do you say, "We go boating all the time," and then pause and realize you can't recall the last time you hit the water? It's OK. The average American boat owner only goes out a handful of times each season. Problem is, Florida isn't like up north. We don't have that Memorial Day-to-Labor Day season. We have no excuses. Plus achieving this goal is significant just so you can be inyour face about the cliché non-boat owners like to say. You know, it's the one about how a boat is a hole you pour money into. Hey, the money-pouring doesn't matter if you gain quality of life, right?

6. Clean out your tackle box. Ick, right? With the exception of outdoors writer Byron Stout of The News-Press, I've never seen a tackle box that didn't need to be cleaned out. And this was back when Byron fished a lot. Since he's freely admitted to taking up golf frequently, I bet his box is extra clean. Kudos to him. I'll make it my personal goal to reorganize all my junk into a more usable format this year.

- Betsy Clayton is a freelancer based on Pine Island and also is Lee County Parks & Recreation's waterways coordinator. Contact her at boatingbybetsy@ yahoo.com.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

Easy to make 'em, easy to break 'em. Here are a few pointers for staying true to your Dec. 31st words:
>>Set realistic goals. Don't make a resolution you know you'll never keep. Or if you do, at least don't write it down or say it out loud.
>>Keep the list short. Don't make a long list of things to do. Try two resolutions this year and see if you meet with success. For 2009, try three. Or cut last year's that you didn't do in half.
>>Remember Mother Nature. Make one resolution for yourself and one for her. Commit mentally to volunteering on International Coastal Cleanup Day, for example, or the annual Monofilament Madness. (Both happen here in Lee County in the fall, so you can procrastinate - a bonus!)
>>Forget the boring resolutions. Everyone wants to lose weight, quit smoking and exercise. Give your resolution list more zest. Learn to windsurf, enter a kayak race, or aim to catch and release a snook, redfish and sea trout all in one day.
>>Don't feel bad. If you break your resolutions and fail, vow to do them again next year.
That's what everyone else does