If there was a theme for these columns, it was based on my idea of promoting good resolutions which, as we all know, are what we should be promising to try … again … in the new year.

Quoting my favorite, Dave Barry: “Don’t feel bad! Many people have trouble sticking to their resolutions, and there is a scientific explanation for this. In 1987, a team of psychologists conducted a study in which they monitored the New Year’s resolutions of 275 people. After one week, the psychologists found that 92 percent of the people were keeping their resolutions; after two weeks, we have no idea what happened because the psychologists had quit monitoring.”

Being open to new words is certainly an excellent resolve as is doing normal housecleaning including emptying the dryer’s lint trap. No fires in 2020, please.

I do, on occasion, have problems with my garage doors but I’m finding that is a common problem as the cars get wider and the doors do not.

Think I’m kidding? Or are you also finding it easier to scrape the sides of your fancy new(er) automobile?

I can tell you my daughter (the only one to drive here in the past couple of years) thought poorly of me … until she tried to pull my Audi into the garage. Then she saw what I’ve been dealing with all along.

Let me explain. To begin with, the driveway comes up an incline (guess it has to by definition, right?) which also requires a sharp left, then an immediate right turn to get the car perpendicular to the garage opening. No one could do it at an angle. Once properly positioned, the driver then has to inch (if wise) up over a bump to get onto the cement floor. Accelerating is a must to get over that bump but not, certainly, wise because of the possibility of scraping the car sides. I inch ahead as slowly as I can (remember up hill, bump and then in) but there’s still a moment when I cannot see the sides of either garage or car.

If I sound like a madwoman banging into things let me elucidate further.

I’m presuming all garage door openings come in a standard width. They shouldn’t but that’s not my point at the moment. I didn’t think of asking for wider doors but wouldn’t have room to widen the garage much anyway. We were building on a very narrow lot here. Turns out there are also nine-feet-wide doors but nobody asked me and I guess the builders … well, blame it actually on the architect. (NOW how do I get rid of all the ads for garage doors?)

My garage is seven and a half feet wide. (If that’s not right, it’s because I was measuring on a dark snowy night.) That’s ninety inches. Actually, in the daylight, it’s 95 inches plus the rubber scraper which would make it a respectable eight feet wide. My car, to complete the equation is seventy-two and a half inches wide. That leaves less than a foot on each side. (If your feet are normal, just put them — not the body — on each side sticking out and I’d have to run over you.)

Getting out has never been a problem because it’s flat and I can see sides: wall, car and door. Oh, sure, the car beeps loudly and red signs light — even to warn me not to run into the front of the garage while I’m backing out. (Some words are better left unsaid.)

The solution might be to buy a smaller car. The Hyundai Venue measures just 69.7 wide with the same manufacturer’s Veloster coming in at 71.3. Ford’s Focus ST is only 71.9 inches wide. At more than double the price the BMW M340i is the same width though over a foot longer. Think that would really make a difference?

Then things get serious: The Mazda CX-5 is 72.5, Audi Q3 has a width of 72.8, the Toyota GR Supra and Subaru Outback are both 73.0, BMW Z4 73.4, Kia Stinger 73.6, F, Cadillac CT6-V 74.0, Ford Escape SE 74.1, Lincoln Corsair 74.3, Infiniti QX50 74.9, Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 75.9and the 2020 Lamborghini Hurac’n 76.1. Wouldn’t you think some at least might agree?

If there’s a problem the car manufacturers don’t seem to get it. The Audi e-tron SUV is a healthy 76.3 wide with its RS7 76.8, Cadillac XT6 Sport 77.3, Ferrari F8 Tributo 77.9, Lincoln Aviator 79.6, the McLaren 80.5, the gorgeous Drako GTE 81.3, the Porsche Taycan 84.4 and, the largest I found, Porsche’s Cayenne 86.4.

I imagine one who could afford one of those cars wouldn’t be living where I am or fretting about the width of a door.

Should I get serious about looking at new cars, howsoever, I’d better tuck these figures in my purse. I certainly am glad for all the years I’ve subscribed to so many car magazines, never really knowing why — except I always find something of interest in each issue.

An elephant is never going to make it through my doggy door.

Susan Crossett has lived in Arkwright for more than 20 years. A lifetime of writing led to these columns as well as two novels. “Her Reason for Being” was published in 2008 with “Love in Three Acts” following in 2014. Information on all the Musings, her books and the author may be found at Susancrossett.com.