As you know I set some goals on my 42nd birthday last July. They were running, compassion, paying it forward, leaving social media and increasing creativity, and managing my finances better. I’d like to simply talk about these goals and how my new year is shaping up.
Running
My goal was to run a marathon on my 43rd birthday this coming July, but because of a variety of things, I won’t be doing that. I’ve been dealing with some plantar fasciitis in my right foot that gets exacerbated with anything over a 5-mile hike. Hopefully, I’ll be able to start running again soon and build from there.
Instead of running, I am focusing on getting in 30 minutes of some form of exercise each day for 2017. So far, so good. I’m trying to alternate between walking/jogging, biking, swimming, and stretching/strength training/yoga, so that I can heal my body instead of breaking it down more.
In other running news, I am having difficulty losing any weight and I just keep hovering in the 250s. Not good. I’m trying to watch what I eat, and I’m focusing on cutting out alcohol, unless I go out, cutting down on unnatural sugar, and eating more vegetables. I checked my blood pressure and it was high, so I am drinking more water, eating a banana a day for the potassium, and hoping the 30 minutes of exercise each day will help bring it down. I’m also taking vitamin D, because my levels of vitamin D were very low.
Compassion
My goal for compassion was to maintain a vegan diet, but I am settling for being firmly vegetarian for now. I try to limit my consumption of animal products at all, but I have been eating yogurt for breakfast each morning, along with some cheese throughout the day. We do buy our dairy and eggs from a local grocery store who buys them from local farmers, most of whom practice more ethical farming. This is certainly an area of improvement for me.
I’ve also been trying to meditate more, but I admit if there is something I need to cut out of my morning, meditation is the thing that goes. And meditation should be the thing that I insist upon doing each day, just after my 30 minutes of exercise, because along with the vitamin D, they are the things that keep me mentally healthy.
Pay It Forward
I was thinking I would volunteer with an organization that helps with domestic violence, or sexual assault, or women’s rights, but I’ve found myself attracted to a place called First Nations Kitchen, where I can go after work on Sundays to help serve if I get there in time, or help clean up when I work until 6. We volunteered there on Christmas, and I loved working with the volunteer coordinator and the people who came for dinner, so I decided that would be my place each Sunday night. I start on a regular basis on January 29, so next Sunday.
Social Media and Creativity
My goal was to leave social media and to be more creative. I have been reading much more, about a book a week, but I haven’t been writing or doing art like I wanted to, so this is still an area of opportunity for me. And, I am still entrenched in Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. What I need to figure out with Facebook in particular is a way to use my account to network with friends and family, but to not be sucked into the meanness, argumentation, and general ridiculousness of it. I can’t stand watching my friends speak to each other the way they do. We’ve forgotten that we can disagree, have a civil conversation, and actually listen to each other. Instead what I see is a bunch of name-calling, sucker-punching, and extreme hatefulness. I understand that people are passionate, but there are ways to discuss, protest, and change people’s minds and lives without the anger and vitriol.
Finances
I am diligently working on my finances. They are out of control and it is hard. But I am working on getting them under control. I haven’t charged anything on a credit card since some time in October, so that is a start. And I am paying more than the minimum payment on the cards, which is another start.
Evaluation of Goals: Mid Year
I guess my middle of the year evaluation of my goals is that I am doing okay, but that there is room to improve. I’d like to say that by my 43rd birthday, I could lose about 40 pounds, have written a couple of things to send out for publishing, and have kept up my 30 minutes of exercise and 10 minutes of meditation each day. The most important thing for me is that by July, I’d like to be mentally and physically healthy. I’d like to not revisit this past July and August as far as mental health goes.
Here’s to all good things. Peace.
Reason Breeds Insanity 