Clean Slate
Jan. 2nd, 2018 11:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrdreamjeansWith this entry, I begin my 15th year on Live Journal, I'm not quite certain why I continue to write there other than habit. It's the beginning of 2018. It seems like yesterday that the turn of the century happened. Remember, how worried the world was about Y2K? Now, babies born in 2000 will graduate high school this year. Wow!
Food: As many of us do, I use the beginning of the year to begin a clean slate. I hesitate to make sweeping resolutions; I'd rather set manageable, attainable goals instead. As an all or nothing kind of guy, I begin with food. My first promise to myself is to eliminate chips, both potato and tortilla from my diet this year. I successfully eliminated diet sodas in 2009; now, I'm going to cut back on regular sodas. I slowly started drinking more soda last year after a urologist told me they were not a primary cause of my kidney stones. I will be meeting with a nutritionist in the next couple of months to make changes to my overall diet. I've been in a rut; it's clear I need to overhaul my eating habits to feel better.
I am inspired by the major changes my friends geometrician and erstexman made in 2017. Joseph has lost 135 lbs through a complete overhaul of diet and exercise; Evan's changes began in December. He is down 45 lbs after a gastric sleeve procedure. Both are off medications for diabetes and other conditions. Do I have this kind of push left in me? I am a decade older than both of them.
Personal growth: A message from a December horoscope has stuck with me: You've got to free your mind for the rest to follow. You've been putting up too many rules to govern your life, but now you might find them more burdensome than helpful. If so, you need to examine what's so important that caused you to build these real and imaginary fences. You need to spread your wings; but first, you need to unlock your cage. I continue to reflect on the truth of these words as they continue to resonate.
How can I take the kernal of truth from this broad horoscope and apply it in creation of a clean slate? It is true I have a strong code of behavior for my life. I would like to unlock my self-built cage; but, how do I do this except to challenge myself to be more more flexible and spontaneous? In 2017, I challenged myself to let go of past hurts and lost friendships and to move ouside my comfort zone, not entirely successfully. I made progress. I made myself vulnerable, believing asking for forgiveness without being to blame would be a sign of a willingness to compromise and move forward; but this vulnerability often was mistaken for weakness or indecisiveness. Perhaps, the first step is to try to be lighter-hearted this new year? Direct communication seems to be more and more difficult in a time where the majority of communication is through text, not talk.
Finances: Finances in retirement have been a stressor. To relieve that stress, I negotiated a return to employment late last year. I will begin the part time work this month. It will get me out of the house and interacting with new people. Elimination of credit card debt is a major priority!
Technology: Enough is enough. I will use the brains I've always had and quit avoiding new and current technologies in my home. I have a "smart" thermostat that has confounded me. Consequently, I am sitting in a house where it's 62 degrees inside and -10 degrees outside. I am freezing, though I'm wrapped in a blanket. I have fiddled with that damn thermostat for a year; I had a neighbor look at it and he agreed, it's a pain in the ass. However, unless I am happy with turning into an icicle, I better figure it out. The same holds true for other basic household maintenance. Avoiding understanding it doesn't make it go away.
Travel: I'm starting a travel fund. The wonderful trip with Steve Mitchell to Italy last May triggered my ever-present zest for travel. I made five trips to Texas and back last year. I think cutting down to one a year is necessary. My family will have to start visiting here! A trip to San Francisco in July might be in order. My ex David will be turning 75 this year. I haven't been to the Bay area since 2007. It's a goal to celebrate with him.
Well, it's time to get dressed and unpack my car from my return last night. Our high is 15 degrees today, so an absolute heat wave by comparison to the minus degree temps of the past few days. The sun is out. At least I can see while I wipe this slate clean!
Food: As many of us do, I use the beginning of the year to begin a clean slate. I hesitate to make sweeping resolutions; I'd rather set manageable, attainable goals instead. As an all or nothing kind of guy, I begin with food. My first promise to myself is to eliminate chips, both potato and tortilla from my diet this year. I successfully eliminated diet sodas in 2009; now, I'm going to cut back on regular sodas. I slowly started drinking more soda last year after a urologist told me they were not a primary cause of my kidney stones. I will be meeting with a nutritionist in the next couple of months to make changes to my overall diet. I've been in a rut; it's clear I need to overhaul my eating habits to feel better.
I am inspired by the major changes my friends geometrician and erstexman made in 2017. Joseph has lost 135 lbs through a complete overhaul of diet and exercise; Evan's changes began in December. He is down 45 lbs after a gastric sleeve procedure. Both are off medications for diabetes and other conditions. Do I have this kind of push left in me? I am a decade older than both of them.
Personal growth: A message from a December horoscope has stuck with me: You've got to free your mind for the rest to follow. You've been putting up too many rules to govern your life, but now you might find them more burdensome than helpful. If so, you need to examine what's so important that caused you to build these real and imaginary fences. You need to spread your wings; but first, you need to unlock your cage. I continue to reflect on the truth of these words as they continue to resonate.
How can I take the kernal of truth from this broad horoscope and apply it in creation of a clean slate? It is true I have a strong code of behavior for my life. I would like to unlock my self-built cage; but, how do I do this except to challenge myself to be more more flexible and spontaneous? In 2017, I challenged myself to let go of past hurts and lost friendships and to move ouside my comfort zone, not entirely successfully. I made progress. I made myself vulnerable, believing asking for forgiveness without being to blame would be a sign of a willingness to compromise and move forward; but this vulnerability often was mistaken for weakness or indecisiveness. Perhaps, the first step is to try to be lighter-hearted this new year? Direct communication seems to be more and more difficult in a time where the majority of communication is through text, not talk.
Finances: Finances in retirement have been a stressor. To relieve that stress, I negotiated a return to employment late last year. I will begin the part time work this month. It will get me out of the house and interacting with new people. Elimination of credit card debt is a major priority!
Technology: Enough is enough. I will use the brains I've always had and quit avoiding new and current technologies in my home. I have a "smart" thermostat that has confounded me. Consequently, I am sitting in a house where it's 62 degrees inside and -10 degrees outside. I am freezing, though I'm wrapped in a blanket. I have fiddled with that damn thermostat for a year; I had a neighbor look at it and he agreed, it's a pain in the ass. However, unless I am happy with turning into an icicle, I better figure it out. The same holds true for other basic household maintenance. Avoiding understanding it doesn't make it go away.
Travel: I'm starting a travel fund. The wonderful trip with Steve Mitchell to Italy last May triggered my ever-present zest for travel. I made five trips to Texas and back last year. I think cutting down to one a year is necessary. My family will have to start visiting here! A trip to San Francisco in July might be in order. My ex David will be turning 75 this year. I haven't been to the Bay area since 2007. It's a goal to celebrate with him.
Well, it's time to get dressed and unpack my car from my return last night. Our high is 15 degrees today, so an absolute heat wave by comparison to the minus degree temps of the past few days. The sun is out. At least I can see while I wipe this slate clean!
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no subject
Date: 2018-01-03 03:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-01-03 02:00 pm (UTC)No resolutions per se here, though.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-04 06:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-01-04 06:18 pm (UTC)