I have the same New Year’s resolution every year. It’s not the classic, and likely most broken, resolution to “Go to the gym more.” It’s not “Save more money” or “Cut down on phone time,” though either of those would likely do me some good. My annual resolution can be easily summed up in two words: Say “yes.”
My column would not exist without this resolution. When The Voice put out a call for columnists a year and a half ago, I said “yes.” Many of the topics I’ve written about, such as participating in the PTO, becoming a T own Meeting member, and running the Savage Race, were not activities I proactively pursued. They all came about when someone asked me to give something a shot and I did. It’s not a reaction that comes naturally to me. As I progress further into middle age, there is a voice in my head whispering, “You know what you like by now. You don’t need to try new things.” There’s an even louder voice that frequently says, “You’re doing enough. You don’t need another obligation.” To be fair, I should probably listen to that second voice a little more frequently.
Previous Columns
But 2025 was another “Yes Year” for me. My climbing partner of nearly a decade asked me last January if this was the year I would learn how to lead climb. I have been bouldering and top-rope climbing for much of my adult life, but lead climbing, which involves pulling the rope up the wall with you and “clipping in” as you go, adds some complexity to the sport and is, frankly, pretty scary. Yet she asked, and I said “yes.” It took me most of the year to work up the courage, but this past December, I became lead certified.
When my friend Carey asked if I would officiate his wedding in November, I said “Yes!” without hesitation. It was only afterward that it dawned on me I would have to give a speech in front of a room full of people, many of whom I didn’t know. Not my favorite thing to do! Two nights before the wedding, I scrapped the speech I’d been writing for over a week and started from scratch. All went well despite my sweating through my suit in my nervousness, and being able to participate in Carey and Tim’s wedding was the highlight of my year. They’re two of my favorite people in the world and I was honored to play a part in their big day.
I said “yes” to going to protests. I said “yes” to becoming a PTO co-president. I said “yes” to climbing a mountain. I said “yes” to joining a working group for Belmont’s superintendent. I said “yes” to new foods, new songs, and new books. Sometimes saying “yes” results in an adventure, or learning something, or contributing to a cause I believe in. As I tell my kids, even if saying “yes” to something goes awry, at the very least, you’ll get a good story out of it.
So 2026, the year I turn 50, will be another Yes Year for me. I have no idea where it will take me, but that’s half the fun. Maybe I’ll end up visiting a new city, or eating fermented fish, or singing karaoke (another fear I’ve avoided my whole life). Saying “yes” might not be the easiest or safest New Year’s resolution, but it’s never, ever boring.
Eric J. Perkins writes about Gen X for The Belmont Voice. When he’s not writing, he’s the Director of Transformation at Addgene, a life sciences nonprofit in Watertown.