As usual, around this time of year, I am thinking about what is next, what’s coming up in this year. I have some goals—some are the same I’ve had, some are ones I’ve considerd in the past, and some are new—and plan to take a bit of space to think through them.
- Get up at 5AM every day. Walk a mile with Luna. Read a Psalm and some Bible before meditating.
- Read (fiction) and write every day. Watch one (at most) TV show or movie each night.
- Ruck 30 minutes with some hills every evening. Eat good food and less of it. Make sure to have breakfast and lunch. Drink more water.
- Be sober.
- Start my podcast.
I have long had a desire to get up at the same time of day each morning. I’ve read a lot about how beneficial it is to wake up at a set time each day. I am going to go for 5AM, because then I can walk a mile with Luna and do my other morning things without the pressure of time. I don’t have to be at work until 8AM, so that gives me a full three hours of time to get myself acclimated to the day before I have to work. And it gives me 2.5 hours before I even have to be around other people. This large amount of time will also allow for time to read a Psalm and a couple of other chapters in the Bible each morning before I meditate for 10 minutes—I’d like to work up to 20 minutes each morning by 2025.
The next goal is one that has stumped me for years. I want to read some fiction or poetry every single day. I read a lot of nonfiction of all kinds, because it is my favorite, but I don’t read a lot of fiction, and maybe that is why I am not as creative as I’d like to be. Creativity is essential for the other half of this goal. I want to write every day. I am trying to decide if I want to write here, in a private file, or in a notebook each day. My eventual goal is to try to have some kind of memoir-like thing. In order to make this goal happen, I’ll have to watch fewer TV shows and movies, which is part of this goal.
Another goal is to ruck 30 minutes each day after school to wind down before I head home, which pairs with my goals of staying sober, eating breakfast and lunch, and drinking more water. On December 27, I will have been sober from alcohol for two years, and I’ve abstained from some other things for over a year, and some for less than that. I am proud of myself for improving my health in this way, and I think it’s safe now to add back in being vegan. My plan, this time, is to be vegan at home and most of the time when I go out, but if there isn’t something vegan, or if I am visiting someone, or if we go somewhere special, to be flexible and not be a pain in the ass about it, but also to not eat meat. I had been vegan for two years, then had a craving for wings and ate them, then it seemed like too much to ask myself to go back to being vegan, when I was already trying so hard not to drink alcohol. Rucking is a physical exercise that can help me get into better shape while also helping me experience nature, which I hold so dear. And, I am hoping that this exercise will also encourage me to eat better adn drink more water, both things I struggle with.
My biggest goal for 2024 is to start the podcast that I have been wanting to do for the past several years. I have narrowed my many ideas down to two, and I am trying to narrow it down to just one, based on the one that will bring me the most joy, and bring some good into the world. I am leaning toward interviewing ordinary people about ordinary things, choosing five questions to ask my interviewees, while also giving them the opportunity to ask me any question they want, on the spot, at the end of the show. My biggest worry was how expensive the equipment might be for this, but I listened to a podcast called “How to Start a Podcast” by BuzzSprout, and the equipment I’ll need is available for under $500. Some of it, I already own, so I won’t have to spend much at all. Now I just need to get going.
Reason Breeds Insanity 