Well, it’s that time of year again. It’s time for everyone to make promises we may, or may not keep. I’m talking about New Year’s resolutions.

For most people, New Year’s resolutions are a chance to highlight things they will do in the coming year. I don’t especially care for this approach.

Instead, I prefer to highlight things I will not do in the coming year.

The idea is to take a list of mistakes from the past and check them off on Dec. 31. Since the list rarely changes, it is always an achievable goal.

This year, I have decided to share that list.

First, I will not feed a baby bird cake. This is an incident I have never lived down. When I was 8-years-old we took in an abandoned baby mockingbird and named him Roscoe. Roscoe flourished as a member of our family and was almost ready to fly away to bird college, or wherever it is birds go when they leave the nest. Unfortunately, his bright future was ruined when I decided he might like some chocolate cake. Long story short, Roscoe never grew up to chase any Duke boys. I learned a valuable lesson about bird diets and vow every year not to feed them chocolate cake.

Second, I will not use fire as a disinfectant. On a camping trip some years ago, a porta john was burned to the ground because someone suggested fire as a way to totally eliminate any germs. It eliminated the germs alright, along with a large circle of grass and the only, uh, facilities within about five miles.

For my third and final resolution of 2011, I will not use an automobile that is not a four-wheel drive in a situation that is four-wheel drive appropriate. The list of casualties include a Mercury Topaz, Lincoln Towncar, Toyota Camry, Plymouth Horizon, Nissan Sentra and Ford Ranger. Yes, I’ve been knee deep in mud more times than I would care to admit. But since the last incident in 2004, I am proud to say this is a mistake I have not made again.

Today I am marking each of these items off my list once again.

So if you are tired of making a list of resolutions that you know you will not keep, I would like to suggest you make a list of things you know you will not do.

It make life a lot easier in December when it is time to reflect.