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Portrait by Greg Bottali

  • Alison Bert

    • I'm a writer who used to make my living as a musician. And somewhere along the way, I developed a passion for photography.

    Whatever I do, I try to make it meaningful. The best training I ever had was as a reporter The Journal News, covering everything from 9-11 to education and business. Now, as an editor for Elsevier, I try to bring the same journalistic integrity to corporate communications.

    In the previous century, I was a classical guitarist and music professor. I will always be grateful for the opportunities it gave me. While working on a doctorate at the University of Arizona, I was a Fulbright Scholar in Spain and studied with Andrés Segovia in a master class. I performed with wonderful musicians in places I will never forget, like Berlin, Krakow, Jerusalem and Caracas. And was able to share what I learned with with some incredible students.

    But ultimately I decided to return to my roots as a writer. When I was on the music faculty of Syracuse University, the Newhouse School was right across the street. I signed up for a few courses, but a professor there convinced me to get a master's in journalism and make it my living.

    Many people ask me why I changed careers, but I don't see it that way. For me, art in any form is about finding what is fascinating and building a technique to express it to others. Which is what I hope to do here. I hope you will join me.

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    Why my only New Year’s resolution is to wash the dishes every day

    Alison Bert on January 1st, 2008 | Filed under Beginnings, Holidays, Life Maintenance

    As a teenager, I used to make long lists of New Years Resolutions:

    1. Do an hour of exercise every day, including yoga for stretching.

    2. Eat only healthy foods, no sweets.

    3. Listen to people when they talk to me, don’t interrupt them.

    4. Think before talking.

    5. Don’t give advice unless asked.

    6. Practice guitar at least two hours a day.

    7. Start studying for tests at least three days in advance. …

    A week later, all would be lost as I downed a box of Oreo cookies while cramming for a history test.

    One year, I got smart. I appended the following resolution:

    If I break any of these resolutions, I will forgive myself and start over again the next day.

    Now I’m even smarter. I make just one resolution. And I make it doable, like Do stretching exercises while watching Ugly Betty and 60 Minutes. It feels good to accomplish something positive no matter how modest. It makes me want to do more.

    So yesterday, as I was begrudgingly washing a week’s worth of dishes, I chose this year’s resolution: Wash the dishes before going to bed at night.

    I can think of few thing more frustrating than coming home from a hard day’s work to a sink full of dishes. Even if I bring home take-out, the dishes call out to me in their gritty voices: “You’re going to have to wash us sooner or later, you know, and the longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be … What? You want to fill a pitcher to water the plants? We’ll, we’re not moving for some stupid plants. Besides, you can find plenty of new vegetation right here. …”

    They’re also a potent reminder of life’s obstacles — the mundane necessities that stop us from pursuing our passions. Why, I’d love to go dancing tonight, Charles, but I have to stay home and do my chores. One Saturday evening, I found myself weeping as I scraped spaghetti off a plate, feeling like Cinderella while her step sisters were at the ball.

    So today when I woke up to find a empty sink, I knew I made the right resolution. I felt like all obstacles had been cleared out of my way. The future was mine. And with the time I saved not having to do dishes, I could do yoga, I could practice my rumba moves, I could practice guitar.

    Or I could go back to sleep. Which I did. And I will tell you, there is nothing as sweet as dreaming with an empty sink.

    3 Comments »


    3 Responses to “Why my only New Year’s resolution is to wash the dishes every day”

    1. Krumhorn Says:
      January 2nd, 2008 at 7:30 am

      Happy New Year, Alison.

      I know the feeling. My first real girlfriend made it clear that nothing of interest was going to happen unless the sink was empty. That was an easy habit to ingrain.

      Maybe it won’t be long before you have a dishwasher. A good one will do wonders on spaghetti plates.

    2. Alison Says:
      January 5th, 2008 at 11:17 am

      Happy New Year to you, Mr. K!

      How did your girlfriend make it clear? This is valuable information.

    3. Krumhorn Says:
      January 8th, 2008 at 10:22 am

      Well, being a typical guy, it’s not difficult to keep the price/reward equation in sharp focus. And she understood it too.

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