via BoingBoing.net

These are Woody Guthrie’s New Year’s “rulin’s” for the year 1942. I think “stay glad, “love everybody” and “wake up and fight” are the best ones.

Here’s the full list, in case you can’t read the image.

1. Work more and better.

2. Work by a schedule.

3. Wash teeth, if any.

4. Shave.

5. Take bath.

6. Eat good – fruit – vegetables – milk.

7. Drink very scant, if any.

8. Write a song a day.

9. Wear clean clothes – look good.

10. Shine shoes.

11. Change socks.

12. Change bed clothes often.

13. Read lots good books.

14. Listen to radio a lot.

15. Learn people better.

16. Keep rancho clean.

17. Don’t get lonesome.

18. Stay glad.

19. Keep hoping machine running.

20. Dream good.

21. Bank all extra money.

22. Save dough.

23. Have company but don’t waste time.

24. Send Mary and kids money.

25. Play and sing good.

26. Dance better.

27. Help win war – beat fascism.

28. Love mama.

29. Love papa.

30. Love Pete.

31. Love everybody.

32. Make up your mind.

33. Wake up and fight.

A nice list.

Rather oddly, Woody Guthrie has been in my sphere of consciousness since I was a kid. He died of Huntington’s Disease, which is what my mom has. He’s our only celeb, which is mildly pathetic. Even though I don’t want anyone else to get sick, we could probably use a Michael J. Fox or something. But I digress.

Knowing this about him, makes this list a little more sad and a little more poetic I guess, because he started to get pretty messed up by the end of the 40’s.

Way to be depressing, Chrissie.

I guess what I’m trying to say here is: Make your resolutions simple and easy so you can accomplish them handily before a stupid neurodegenerative disorder starts attacking your brain cells or you get hit by a truck. Or maybe the Mayans are right and we’re all fucked. Or maybe a herd of unicorns will want to take you to a magical land where you will be made king and live on a rainbow. Anything can happen, children.