My resolutions for 2018
I don’t know why I make a list of New Year’s resolutions when most of them go unresolved, but I’ve done it again!
Here are my resolutions for 2018.
1. Drop below 180 pounds.
I am once again recycling this resolution, because I still need to lose weight and still have not done it.
My problem is that I eat too much and move too little. That needs to change. I can’t do much about moving more until my SI issue is resolved, but I can eat less until then.
My annual conference takes place the first week in April, so I want to lose a lot of the weight by then. Losing 19 pounds in 13 or so weeks may be too aggressive (losing one or two pounds per week is ideal), but I want to be lighter then no matter what.
2. Get stronger and stay loose.
Another recycled resolution. I want to continue getting stronger (if I have been). Also, I need to stretch properly to stay loose and limber. Extremely tight muscles, especially my left hamstring and IT band, are likely the source of my SI and pelvic issues.
3. Visit a state I have yet to visit.
I have 21 states left to visit, most of them along the eastern seaboard. The low-hanging fruit is now probably Wyoming.
I planned to take a road trip to Boston last year that would have knocked off all of New England and the mid-Atlantic, but that did not happen. It is definitely something I can do in 2018, though.
4. Freelance.
With positive developments potentially coming my way at one journal, I’m much less inclined to a complete career change this year. However, I want to start freelance writing to put my skills to use. I want to continue to build my portfolio of clips and get my name out there again.
Last year, I wanted to write one story per month but was unable to do much else after publishing a piece in January. A story per month seems doable, and I have a ton of story ideas written down. It’s time to start working on them.
The trouble with freelancing, though, is that it’s hard to do while also working full-time. That’s my one stipulation about freelancing: It cannot interfere with my jobs.
5. Watch more sunsets.
Another recycled resolution from last year. Actually, this is probably the third or fourth time I’ve recycled it.
As I’ve said in the past, I have always loved sunsets. Not only are they beautiful, they provide an inner calming, a reassuring connection to nature. A day has passed and another will dawn soon. Despite the fact I get up early enough to watch the sun rise (at least this time of the year), I’m not much of a sunrise person. Sunsets are my jam, probably because my room while growing up faced west, and the setting sun filled it with that distinctive, beautiful orange hue.
Regardless, I need to watch more sunsets.
6. Improve my penmanship.
Thanks to journaling, my handwriting is much better than it was when I graduated from college. However, it could be better. I tend to write too quickly and rest my hand on the page, smearing ink. I want to change that.
I recently switched to writing with a pencil, which I love and has made a big difference. (I was never much of a pen user, anyway.) Regardless, I want to go back to basics and refine my unique style.
7. Cycle more.
I bought a road bike in 2017 for a reason: to hit the road and do it much more efficiently than I was on my hybrid. However, I did not ride my Raleigh that far. I want to change that in 2018.
If I can’t run anymore, or at least not as much, I want to ride my bike much more often.
Another reason I bought my road bike is to do RAGBRAI again. Will this be the year? Perhaps.
8. Write creatively.
Except for blogging, I don’t write anymore. I don’t write essays. I don’t write short stories. I’m not trying to write a novel. The only writing I do is on this blog, and I want to change that.
Am I going to try to write a novel? I don’t know. Fiction may not be my thing, but I do want to try writing a Fear Street–style story at some point; I did not get that done this fall. I’m a nonfiction guy, so I do want to write some essays. I also have an essay I’ve needed to revise and polish forever. A big step in achieving this goal will be to get that done.
9. Camp more.
I have not camped much the last couple years, but I want to reverse that trend in 2018. I need to get out and unplug much more often. I have always wanted to go camping at Pikes Peak State Park, one of my favorite places, and I should do that this year.
10. Say no.
This is another recycled resolution. I need to say no and stop being so accommodating to others. When favors are requested of me, it’s not a matter of if I can accept but how I can adjust my schedule to accommodate. When in doubt, there is no doubt—say no!
11. Listen to more Led Zeppelin.
I love Led Zeppelin and listened to the band’s albums a lot back in the day. However, I don’t listen to much Led Zeppelin anymore. That changes this year.
In fact, it’s changed already. Last night, I listened to the band’s self-titled debut album, Led Zeppelin, for the first time in forever. Lying on my bed, ear buds in my ears, black light on, heating pad on my back, it hit the spot! “Good Times Bad Times,” “Dazed and Confused,” and “Communication Breakdown” are probably the best-known songs on the album—all of them amazing in their own way—but I relish all the other songs so much more. “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” “You Shook Me,” “Your Time Is Gonna Come,” “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” and “How Many More Times”—goddamn they are awesome songs! It felt like reacquainting with a lost friend.
12. Continue to purge.
Despite all the stuff I got rid of in 2017, I still have more stuff I want to purge. I want to continue to do so in 2018.
Here are my resolutions for 2018.
1. Drop below 180 pounds.
I am once again recycling this resolution, because I still need to lose weight and still have not done it.
My problem is that I eat too much and move too little. That needs to change. I can’t do much about moving more until my SI issue is resolved, but I can eat less until then.
My annual conference takes place the first week in April, so I want to lose a lot of the weight by then. Losing 19 pounds in 13 or so weeks may be too aggressive (losing one or two pounds per week is ideal), but I want to be lighter then no matter what.
2. Get stronger and stay loose.
Another recycled resolution. I want to continue getting stronger (if I have been). Also, I need to stretch properly to stay loose and limber. Extremely tight muscles, especially my left hamstring and IT band, are likely the source of my SI and pelvic issues.
3. Visit a state I have yet to visit.
I have 21 states left to visit, most of them along the eastern seaboard. The low-hanging fruit is now probably Wyoming.
I planned to take a road trip to Boston last year that would have knocked off all of New England and the mid-Atlantic, but that did not happen. It is definitely something I can do in 2018, though.
4. Freelance.
With positive developments potentially coming my way at one journal, I’m much less inclined to a complete career change this year. However, I want to start freelance writing to put my skills to use. I want to continue to build my portfolio of clips and get my name out there again.
Last year, I wanted to write one story per month but was unable to do much else after publishing a piece in January. A story per month seems doable, and I have a ton of story ideas written down. It’s time to start working on them.
The trouble with freelancing, though, is that it’s hard to do while also working full-time. That’s my one stipulation about freelancing: It cannot interfere with my jobs.
5. Watch more sunsets.
Another recycled resolution from last year. Actually, this is probably the third or fourth time I’ve recycled it.
As I’ve said in the past, I have always loved sunsets. Not only are they beautiful, they provide an inner calming, a reassuring connection to nature. A day has passed and another will dawn soon. Despite the fact I get up early enough to watch the sun rise (at least this time of the year), I’m not much of a sunrise person. Sunsets are my jam, probably because my room while growing up faced west, and the setting sun filled it with that distinctive, beautiful orange hue.
Regardless, I need to watch more sunsets.
6. Improve my penmanship.
Thanks to journaling, my handwriting is much better than it was when I graduated from college. However, it could be better. I tend to write too quickly and rest my hand on the page, smearing ink. I want to change that.
I recently switched to writing with a pencil, which I love and has made a big difference. (I was never much of a pen user, anyway.) Regardless, I want to go back to basics and refine my unique style.
7. Cycle more.
I bought a road bike in 2017 for a reason: to hit the road and do it much more efficiently than I was on my hybrid. However, I did not ride my Raleigh that far. I want to change that in 2018.
If I can’t run anymore, or at least not as much, I want to ride my bike much more often.
Another reason I bought my road bike is to do RAGBRAI again. Will this be the year? Perhaps.
8. Write creatively.
Except for blogging, I don’t write anymore. I don’t write essays. I don’t write short stories. I’m not trying to write a novel. The only writing I do is on this blog, and I want to change that.
Am I going to try to write a novel? I don’t know. Fiction may not be my thing, but I do want to try writing a Fear Street–style story at some point; I did not get that done this fall. I’m a nonfiction guy, so I do want to write some essays. I also have an essay I’ve needed to revise and polish forever. A big step in achieving this goal will be to get that done.
9. Camp more.
I have not camped much the last couple years, but I want to reverse that trend in 2018. I need to get out and unplug much more often. I have always wanted to go camping at Pikes Peak State Park, one of my favorite places, and I should do that this year.
10. Say no.
This is another recycled resolution. I need to say no and stop being so accommodating to others. When favors are requested of me, it’s not a matter of if I can accept but how I can adjust my schedule to accommodate. When in doubt, there is no doubt—say no!
11. Listen to more Led Zeppelin.
I love Led Zeppelin and listened to the band’s albums a lot back in the day. However, I don’t listen to much Led Zeppelin anymore. That changes this year.
In fact, it’s changed already. Last night, I listened to the band’s self-titled debut album, Led Zeppelin, for the first time in forever. Lying on my bed, ear buds in my ears, black light on, heating pad on my back, it hit the spot! “Good Times Bad Times,” “Dazed and Confused,” and “Communication Breakdown” are probably the best-known songs on the album—all of them amazing in their own way—but I relish all the other songs so much more. “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” “You Shook Me,” “Your Time Is Gonna Come,” “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” and “How Many More Times”—goddamn they are awesome songs! It felt like reacquainting with a lost friend.
12. Continue to purge.
Despite all the stuff I got rid of in 2017, I still have more stuff I want to purge. I want to continue to do so in 2018.
