2019 Begins!

2019 Begins!

So, here we are. Another New Year. Grandma always said that time would accelerate as I got older. Guess she was right. One person I know said that’s because of perspective. The idea is that as we get older, 1 year doesn’t seem as long as 1 year did when we had only experience 10 years so far. Kind of makes sense.

I’ve never been one to have big New Year’s resolutions. But I thought this year that it could be important to have some ideas of what want to accomplish. Kind of like having lighthouses to help navigate in the dark when the waters get a bit choppy. And, in the name of being accountable to the universe, I thought I’d share them as well.

  1. Focus on gratitude. I’ve talked in various forums about the importance of gratitude. There’s even research that shows what happens when we spend time focusing on those things for which we are grateful. I really do believe that in any situation it’s possible to find something to be grateful for, even if it’s something as small as “I’m grateful I get to eat salmon for dinner” (that’s an inside joke). Here’s how I’m going to make this one work (I stole this idea — I’m not this creative). I’m going to create a gratitude jar that sits somewhere we can see it all the time. Throughout the year, we’ll drop some slips of paper in it of something we’re grateful for, and when times get a little less bright, we can be visually reminded that there is a lot to be grateful for.
  2. Hit that next health goal. In the back half of 2018, I rediscovered my ability to focus on my health, and had some real success in getting some numbers going in the right direction — b/p, blood sugar, weight. It felt really good to hit those numbers, and hitting those numbers made me feel really good. In 2019, I’m going to continue that. My goal for 2019 is to hit 200 lbs. I actually haven’t weighed 200 since 1993. I actually remember the horror of hitting 200 for the first time. After that, I kind of took a “screw it” kind of attitude, and was off to the races. This year I want to get back there and stay there. It’s going to be hard. I’ll be utilizing Weight Watchers (or whatever their name is this week) to help me with understanding smart food choices, sticking with Camp Gladiator to push the exercise, supplementing CG with some hard cardio at the gym, and finding ways to be active on the weekend. I also bought a smart scale which reminds me of my biometrics such as body fat.
  3. Explore.  Speaking of the weekend, it’s time to focus a bit on exploring. The last couple of years in the new house has created a bit of a pattern where evenings are spent on the couch staring at the small screen in my hand, and then the weekends have to be used for things like cleaning, mowing, other yardwork, etc. In 2019, I plan to use some time in the evenings to do many of those things, which can free up time on the weekends to explore this world. In 2018, thinking I would do that, I bought myself a nice new digital camera. For Christmas, Jeff got me a nice new tripod. I’ve got a lot of tools to capture the world in pictures. In 2019, I’m going to put those tools to use. For day trips, there are tons of places within a drive of a couple of hours that gives time to get there, explore, and get back in time to feed the pups. I’d also like to see some overnight trips to get even further. I’d love to see some sunrises and sunsets in places I’ve not seen them yet. Who knows. We may even try that 72 ounce steak.
  4. Minimize. Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of spare cash. We didn’t starve, but we weren’t living the high life. We didn’t have a lot of new, shiny things along the way. And yet we survived, right? When I got older and had some disposable income, I believe a thought pattern developed early of “I’d like nice stuff” kicked in, and I gathered new, nice things around me. I bought stuff I didn’t need. I bought stuff I’d never use. In 2019, I want to downsize my collection of stuff. The photo above is one of the first moves in that direction — I started with my closet. I have shirts I have literally never worn (granted, some of that is due to weight gain, but still…..). I have a number of bags of clothes to go to charity. Jeff thinks the Tommy Bahama shirts can do well on eBay. I suspect the trash guys are going to really hate me this year. Good thing I gave them a nice gift card for Christmas.
  5. Install a trench drain.  OK.  I don’t know if that counts as a 2019 goal per se, but after a night of rain, as I look at inches of water standing in the yard which will absolutely never drain, it absolutely has to be done. That may be the first thing to happen come bonus time. Hopefully there’s a bonus time this year.

So that’s kind of how I’m thinking about the coming year. Feel free to ask me how I’m doing on these goals. Feel free to share your goals with me and ask for my support.

I hope each and every person who reads this has a wonderful 2019. I hope you laugh a lot. I hope you create wonderful memories for yourself and those you love. I hope you end the year believing that 2019 was a really good year, even if there are bumps and bruises along the way. Above all, I hope that in 2019 each of you know that you are loved and appreciated.

Peace and love to all.

2 Replies to “2019 Begins!”

  1. Mike, I admire the health work you have done. I need to get my numbers down also.
    I want less clutter around the house. We have made progress on that – more is needed.
    I will be following your blog. I wish a fun and productive 2019 for you and me.

  2. Love your list. I have a similar one, with the health goals and all, the last couple of years I’ve spent more time sitting on my rear so it’s time to get more active. I look forward to following your blog, too!

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