April 1st -- No foolin'!

Perhaps the wisest thing I can do on April Fool's Day is to admit that I lack enough wisdom to share it regularly from this little read blog. Sharing the thoughts, quotes, and clever memes of others is the best I can do. 

The best I can offer is to encourage you to pause occasionally to embrace the moment and appreciate the good things in life. 

I have never been a big goal setter or big dream kind of person. I don't know that I have ever set a goal to be something or do something that required a real plan of action or steady commitment. Chris wanting a white picket fence and flowers in front of the house might have been the source of my biggest challenge and accomplishment -- and I'm okay with that.
Simply appreciating what I have and not competing in the societal game of doing more or having more than the next person is enough for me. 

There are days when I think I should have pursued a college degree of some kind -- mostly because I admire those that did, but I don't know how that would have made my life better. I still enjoy reading and learning about new things. I realize that a degree would give me credibility in certain fields, but I don't really need the credibility boost since I honestly don't care if most people believe me or not.

Today I get to do what I do.
I start the day listening to the birds and sipping good coffee.
I'll get my hands dirty by digging in the soil and working on restoring that large flowerbed.
I'll relax afterwards with a good Nicaraguan cigar.
And then Chris and I will meet some friends for dinner.
I'll finish the day reading a book on the deck with the night sounds of crickets, peeper frogs and coyotes in the background.
Just another day in the life of John.

I can't say that this was ever my goal or something that I actively worked for, but life has turned out pretty well.
And I'm not foolin'!

John

It's not spring -- but I'll take it!

A few January days in the mid 60s (17c or so) -- I'll take it!
I'm actually a little excited about it.

It is still just a bit above freezing, but I am looking forward to a much warmer than normal day today. Although I have plenty to do, I am pretty certain that there is a cigar waiting for me this afternoon. 

I ran across this list of challenges for the new year.

You can click it to big it.
Are there any here that you think might be beneficial for you?

I think the first one is good. Having to start over if you complain or gossip in the 21 days might make it an ongoing experiment that lasts the whole year.
Actually, they are all helpful in setting new habits and only as difficult as your current lifestyle differs from each challenge. The 75 day protocol would be the most difficult for me. The rest of them, not so much as I do a bit of them already.

I've never been a big New Year's Resolution person. If you need to change something, just change it. 
"Starting tomorrow..." would work just as well as waiting for January 1st to roll around. Having an artificially imposed starting day like Jan 1 doesn't do much for us procrastinators. 
Nonetheless, I think I'll get started early on my outside work today and make a little more time for that afternoon cigar.

Be well, my friends!

John

Thinking Ahead

It's still 10 days until 2026 but I am thinking about what I might like to accomplish in the coming year.
I often say that I am among society's least productive citizens and my sole contribution to society is that of being a consumer. I am actually quite happy in that role and I don't think that I am ready to mess up that particular brand of happiness.

Currently I am thinking that rather than focusing on doing in 2026, I will focus on being.
Right now, I don't know what that is going to look like.
Maybe it will be that instead of doing something like reading 50 books, I will work on being a reader.
I don't really know.

I do know that there can be great satisfaction in doing and completing a task or accomplishing a goal, and if goal setting is your thing then that's what you should do. 
But if goals don't motivate you and deadlines cause you stress, then maybe just being someone (yourself) or something (teacher, learner, artist, etc.) is more your kind of gig and is who or what you need to be.

There probably isn't much benefit to the world around me if I end up just being myself, but I am already a non-productive member of society so that's not a loss. 
Does being a responsible member of society mean that I have to be doing something to make someone else's life better?
Or does it mean I should allow others to be free to find their own happiness without my interference?

I think that purposefully living in the moment and appreciating the holiness of life will be a good way to spend my time in 2026. 
Being present and being aware of the wonder of nature connects me to the world and to the people around me.

For 2026 -- 
What will you do?
Who will you be?

John

What are you learning?

Once again, I have decided to learn to speak Spanish.
Spanish is the official language of twenty countries and the US territory of Puerto Rico, plus it is widely spoken in Mexico, the USA, and the Philippines. 

I am using Great Courses plus to learn and am just over a week into the course. My greatest challenge is finding places to actually speak in Spanish. I need to find a cigar smoking Mexican man that might need help learning English so that we can smoke cigars, sip tequila, and help each other learn our languages. In today's world, I don't think that advertising for a Mexican person that needs to learn English would get any response, so I guess I'll have to find another way to practice.

I know there are AI courses that allow you to converse with an AI generated teacher. I might have to look into that if taking an old fashioned, repeat-after-me course doesn't work. I don't know that true fluency is the goal, but I would like to be conversationally fluent enough to do more than order a beer and tacos. I am glad there are online translation apps like Google Translate to help when we are in Mexico.

The US is a vast land and there really is no need to learn a second language if your travel is restricted to the US and Canada (although French would be helpful in parts of Quebec). However, it is a little pathetic that so few of us can speak more than just English. Truthfully, it's pathetic at the number that struggle to speak English properly.

Learning a second language is my current quest. 
That and shedding about 60 pounds (27 kg). 
Truthfully, I am doing more to learn Spanish than I am to lose weight, so it is more likely that I'll just be un gringo gordo rather than a normal sized English only American. 

I've completed today's Spanish lesson so I should probably get to work.
¡Adios amigos!

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 Definitely a worthwhile goal

Have a grand day!

John

2024

There is still a week left in the year 2024.
Is it too soon to make an assessment of the past year?  
Is it too late to make some changes?

Checking back to where we were, assessing where we are, and making adjustments to get where we want to be should probably be something we do more than once per year. Nevertheless, the end of one year or the beginning of the next is as good a time as any to do just that. 

I'm not certain if my self assessment is easy or difficult. There really isn't much to it. 
I don't really have any life goals other than to enjoy each moment as it comes and I seem to do that pretty well. 

Our flowers looked great this past summer and I am looking forward to the coming spring/summer for the beauty of the many flowers. I've been adding flower beds each year and it is beginning to be a lot of work. That's not really a bad thing. It's not like I have loads of pressing things to do other than tend to the gardens. I have some gardening books and there is an abundance of gardening information on the interwebs, plus I am slowly storing away some knowledge in my head. So far, I have sucked at vegetable gardening, but will probably give it a go again this year.

Our small neighborhood is built on what used to be a pasture so there are no trees anywhere near the house. On one hand, I am happy not having to rake leaves in the fall. On the other hand, there is no shade in the summer and there are fewer birds and squirrels around. I've planted a few seedling trees, but those will be for the next homeowner to enjoy.
I'm still hoping to convert some of the field into native meadow grasses and wildflowers, but that appears to be a much larger project than I thought it would be. I have a plan, or at least the concepts of a plan, on how I might do that. I need to do a bit more research on it.

Looking ahead to 2025 I only have a couple goals. The first is to get rid of this extra weight that I've put on and get off the high blood pressure meds. If I'm completely honest with myself, I'm not that concerned with being athletically fit; more just being kind of active fit and healthy.
The second thing is to become conversationally fluent in Spanish. That might be a little bit tougher. I'm going to need to find a fluent Spanish speaking friend that is willing to converse with me on a regular basis (or spend more time in Mexico). It's one thing to learn it online or through an app. It's very different to actually carry on a conversation in another language. 

As you can see,my life is not filled with great ambition. Other than those two things, I plan to read a few books (maybe 50 or so), smoke a few cigars, sip a little tequila and a little bourbon, and just enjoy life. 
Check out my coffee mug in the pic below.

How was your year?
Any plans for '25?

John

 

Thinking Ahead

It's truly not often that I plan ahead. I'm more of a fly by the seat of your pants, go with the flow kind of guy. That said, I've been considering the whole New Year's Resolution thing.

New Year's resolutions have never been a very big thing for me, even less of a thing as I've grown older. I do see the value in re-evaluating life and making course corrections now and then, but maybe it just seems too forced or too routine to make it on January first to be of much value. I don't need a calendar to tell me that I need to be eating less and exercising more. 
Turning the calendar page from one year to the next certainly makes the case for making new beginnings or new habits, but is it really that big of a deal?

I'm thinking of something much smaller for the coming year; something less intimidating and more manageable.
I think I'll work with a New Day's resolution -- making a plan for each day as it comes. It will kind of combine my go with the flow personality with the big thing of a New Year's resolution and work it into something more manageable. 
And I don't have to wait for a certain date on the calendar! I can make a simple resolution with each day's rising sun.   
I'm going to make today's New Day resolution simple -- 20 minutes on the exercise cycle and a walk to get the mail (1/4 mile).
I also need to spend some time reading my library book -- Pastrix, by Nadia Bolz-Weber. Sometimes I get caught up in a fiction book and set aside the non-fiction stuff.

That's it!
A little exercise
A little reading
I might even do them at the same time!

How do you handle the resolution thing?
A plan for the year?
Day by day?
Don't do resolutions?

John

Time is Short

One week from today is Christmas.
Two weeks from today is 2023.
If you set goals for 2022 or still have Christmas shopping to do, the time is getting short.

I don't have any 2022 goals to achieve, but if I can manage to lose a few pounds between now and New Year's Day I won't be at my heaviest weight to start a year. Fortunately, I don't have any real health issues (that I'm aware of) other than being overweight. My blood pressure is borderline and I need to get it down a bit or go on meds. Other than that, I've managed to be a pretty healthy fat guy, but I know it's only a matter of time until it catches up to me.  

As for the Christmas shopping--
We've said we're not going to buy Christmas presents for each other, but I think that Chris will get me something and I should probably get her something, too. 
Hmmm...

I've got a week, sort of.
The 12hr overnight schedule at the shelter (tonight plus Thursday and Friday nights) kind of messes with my normal do what I want when I want routine. It's not too bad, but it does screw up my sleep more than I remember. Either I'm just not used to it or the additional years are a factor. It may be both factors having an impact. In any case, I probably need to figure something out pretty quickly.

Got any last moment things to do for Christmas or before the end of 2022?
Any party plans to bring in the new year?
How are you coping with the holiday stress?

Happy Holidays, indeed!

John

2022, Day 1

Well, we made it. 
Although we began 2021 with a vaccine and the hope of putting an end to the Covid pandemic, too much politics and anti-science has us beginning 2022 with another upsurge in infections and a still rising death count.
sigh
But we are here in 2022 and the year is before us. 

I have no real goals for the year. I really haven't had annual goals for some time. I am content to live each day as it comes along. Here are a few of my thoughts for '22.

I do expect that '22 will have a little more travel than the previous two years. Although the pandemic continues to rage, we have been vaxxed and are willing to take the necessary precautions to be able to travel and move about a bit more than we have been able to.
We took the pop-up camper out in the late fall of '21 and will likely use it a time or two this spring. We may even try a camping trip with Groucho, the cat. Plus a bike trip to Colorado Springs in the summer or maybe to a friend's cabin on Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada would be something I may be up for.
Chris will be traveling to Nova Scotia in June and I'm certain we will be making another trip to Mexico.

I do have plans to do a little more gardening this year. I'm still not sure what that will look like, but I hope to be eating more of our own produce this year and adorning our home with some freshly cut flowers on a regular basis.

It has been a couple of years since I've done any magic. Although I do not foresee taking it up for the purpose of doing shows again, I may dabble in the art once again--just for the personal pleasure and to share with a few friends from time to time.

And I really do want to learn to speak and understand Spanish at a conversational level.

Although I am in generally good health, I still need to work on the overall body weight and activity level. That's pretty much an ongoing, daily struggle.

For the most part, I am a fairly calm spirit these days. While I may not always be at peace with the world, I am at peace with myself. As much as the physical John contends with the body, the spiritual John contends with the spirit and finding my place in relationship to God, my fellow humans, and the natural world around me. I am finding the spiritual connections to the physical world to be the true key to a peaceful and happy existence.
The Western world has taught us to keep those things separate and it really doesn't work well to bring about total harmony. We strive to succeed in careers and compete with each other for riches and control, but leave our spirits neglected or propped up with false hopes, false beliefs, and tiny gods.
Meditation, prayer, and time spent with God are helping me to connect better to all of life around me, and helping me to re-evaluate the lessons of the past and the motivation behind them. We can learn much from the ancient teachings of our Eastern friends.

I wish you peace and offer a blessing of love for the coming year.
Be well, my friends.
Please feel free to stop by and spend a few moments of your day at Out of My Hat from time to time during the year. Leave a comment or share a thought on what is posted. Maybe a motorcycle trip will find me in your area and we can meet over a beer or cup of coffee.

John

What's Next?

It's the final week of 2021 and 2022 is just around the fast approaching corner. I suppose this should be a time of reflection and consideration of the past year, but I think I'll just put it behind me and look ahead. I wonder what 2022 will hold for me in particular and for all of us in general.

At the moment, I don't really have much in the way of plans or goals. I do want to have a better garden than last year and have plans to get an earlier start on the planting. I'm thinking that flower gardening and landscaping will be as big (if not bigger) of a project as the vegetable garden. 

My motorcycle has been parked in the garage for all of 2021. I really need to get back to riding. There is a part of my thinking that says riding to be riding is a bit of a waste -- a waste of resources and a waste of time. It doesn't cost or use anything to sit on the deck and read, or to do a little work in the yard -- and I enjoy both of those things. I need to get back to using the bike as my main means of transportation and just ride whenever I need to be out. I also need to plan a round about trip to Colorado Springs -- maybe OKC, Amarillo, Albuquerque, CO Springs, and something equally round about for the trip home. I might need to upgrade the bike for the mountains. Just thinking for now.

I'm not really making any life changing plans nor resolutions for the coming year; just more of the same movement towards a more healthy and less consuming life. I like traveling, but am also happy staying home. I'm thinking about cutting back on the cigars a bit. I seldom smoke more than one in a day and don't smoke one everyday. There is something contemplative and relaxing about cigar smoking. It's like everything stops for an hour or so while you just enjoy a simple pleasure. But it certainly doesn't make it on the healthy living side of life's habits, so...

I feel like a bit of a slacker by not having any goals for the year. If I come up with something in the next few days, I'll be sure to let you know. If not -- well, I'm okay with that.

How about you?
Any plans, goals, resolutions for 2022?

John

Last Quarter

It's October and we are in the final quarter of 2021.
I don't think that '21 turned out to be the year most of us were hoping for, but the calendar pages change regardless. 

Now might be a good time to assess how our 2021 projects and goals are going. I am a little behind on some of mine, but they really aren't that pressing.
Most of our flowers came in nicely this year. The vegetable garden was a different story. 
We managed to get some produce, but needed to have a better bed to get a better yield. I'm starting now to prepare the beds for next spring, so we should do better in our 2022 vegetable garden.

We are also adding flower garden space.
Can you have too many flowers?
I think not.
I'm re-working my compass rose garden to have a bit more flower space. I thing I'll use the added space for some low growing, but colorful annuals, and the inside part of the compass circle will have perennials. Maybe I should include some roses in the compass rose garden. The centerpiece of the compass rose will be a sundial on a post. It's not exactly like a floral clock that supposedly exists in Niagara, but it will be my SWMO version of a floral timepiece.
We will also be adding more flowers to the front flower beds and creating a place for sunflowers on the west side of the house.

As you can see, I have plenty of projects to keep me busy -- and that doesn't count the shelves that need to be built in the basement and all of the pitching, cleaning, and organizing that needs to be done there. A truly ambitious person would never have time to read a book, smoke a cigar, or just sit and enjoy the sounds of nature. I should probably try to find something in between the two.

So,
How are your 2021 goals coming along?

John

Goodbye Summer and a 100 Day Challenge

It is the last full day of summer!
Here in SWMO Autumn is beginning a day early. After an all night rain, the temperature today is only forecast to reach 70 (21.1c) and the overnight temp tonight is down to 50 (10c)! I'm definitely not a fan of fall. Give me warm weather and long days! 

After today there are 100 days left in 2021.
What should I do for the next 100 days?

I thought about writing something here every day for the next 100 days. It would be a challenge and I doubt that anybody would really care or benefit from it. I could probably manage to post memes, jokes, and trivia, but posting every day doesn't really count as writing every day.

I have been reading pretty much everyday. My Kindle app says 29 days in a row (and 40 weeks in a row) on the app, plus I've actually read a few real books. I suppose I could shoot for 129 days in a row.

I could easily spend time every day for the next 100 days working in or around the house. There are several gardening and landscaping projects to tend to, as well as shelving to put up in the basement and cleaning and organizing all of our crap that is stored down there.

Maybe send 100 cards, notes, or letters to people?
Maybe just one person per day for the next 100 days gets a personal message, thank you, or word of encouragement. Hmmm...this has possibilities. I might even combine an occasional post with a virtual shout out and social media tag.

Would anyone else care to join me?
For the next 100 days (beginning Sept 22) we send a thank-you, a note of encouragement, or just a personal message to one person. And for the purposes of this challenge, let's say that Christmas cards and letters don't count.

Let me know if you're in!
Feel free to share this post or idea with others. The more the merrier! Take full advantage of today's technology or write out an old fashioned letter. It's just one person per day. If just ten people will join in, we can make 1000 people smile over the next 100 days!

At 2:20PM CDT tomorrow the sun crosses the Equator on its southward journey and Fall begins in the Northern hemisphere. If anyone wants to buy me an Oktoberfest beer to cry in or offer me words of encouragement, I am available.

John

It's Another New Beginning and Monday Motivation

Actually, it's Day2 of this, my 62nd trip around the sun.
The 61st trip was pretty non-eventful. That wasn't entirely due to restrictions from the pandemic. I'm in a position to enjoy a pretty non-eventful life.

However, I think it is time to get back to some of the volunteer service that we were participating in pre-pandemic. Chris and I are both fully vaccinated, so that leaves us with laziness and unwillingness as excuses -- neither of which are very good. The next couple of weeks are unusually busy for us, so I'll wait until to July to figure out where and when we can start serving again. I've got to admit -- there is a cold and uncaring part of me that could easily isolate in this peaceful setting and let the world fend for itself. That whole "love your neighbor" thing can be inconvenient and bothersome at times, but it is difficult to love when you stay isolated.

On the health front: I'm beginning this 62nd trip at 250 pounds. I haven't really lost nor gained weight in the past year, but this is not a good place to remain. I really need to drop 50 pounds (22.7kg for my metric friends). Experience has taught me that's not happening with a casual "I'm going to eat better and be more active" attitude. I'm going to have to log foods (damn, I hate that) and be purposeful about exercise. I'm still of the mindset that you eat to control weight and exercise for better health, but it would be a shame to lose all that weight and be unhealthy at 200 pounds!
Fortunately, I don't have any other health issues to worry about. The only meds I take regularly are for allergies, and the only chronic condition is obstructive sleep apnea which will be greatly helped by losing weight.
I do have the 60+ year old body with old, worn joints and poorly conditioned muscles, so I'll make the appropriate adjustments and start slowly. The key is to get started.

Other things for the current journey:
Continue reading. I've slowed a bit in the last month, but still continue to read more than I have in the past. I do need to find some more interesting non-fiction books that aren't about religion or philosophy. 

I'm looking forward to learning more about gardening, bee keeping and solar power. I have some books, but just haven't really gotten around to them yet. I'm thinking about a late fall project of building a small greenhouse to get an early start on next spring's garden and flowers -- just a thought.

I still need to plant some trees. I'm working on getting some fruit trees. I really wouldn't mind some nut trees, black walnuts are very plentiful around here. I'd keep the nut trees close to the existing tree line so I won't have to deal with them while mowing, plus they'll feed the critters that dwell in the trees. I'm also in search of some pine trees to help fill in the tree line for the winter months. Currently the deciduous trees lose their leaves and expose the streetlights of the street behind us. I'd prefer them to remain hidden as I really enjoy the dark country nights.

I'm sure there will be other things that pop into my head as the year rolls on. These are the things I'm thinking about today.
If you are looking for your own new beginning -- you can make this your day!
Or summer begins at 10:31pm (CDT) next Sunday night, making next Monday the first full day of summer. That gives you a week to make plans and get your attitude right.

A recent America's Got Talent contestant went viral with her performance and story. She gave us this quote for Monday Motivation: "You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you decide to be happy." --Nightbirde

John

It's the Weekend!

Happy Saturday, my friends!
The weekend weather forecast for SWMO is looking like spring is on the way. I hope to finish building flower beds and raised garden beds. The digging in and leveling the beds will take some work and will probably go into next week.

This past week has kinda sucked on the Lenten resolve. I'm not sure why -- I just didn't have the same motivation. I am looking forward to getting back to it this week. I'm working on those cards and notes of encouragement. I've got several written that I need to get into the mail. They aren't offering much encouragement in my backpack.

Even in the midst of hope from falling case numbers and more people getting vaccinated, there are still stories of despair. I'm a bit surprised at the number of people that are really depressed and isolated due to pandemic restrictions. It's sometimes difficult to empathize when the isolation hasn't bothered me.
Perhaps the most difficult thing is seeing others having to go through difficult times alone.

There are many senior citizens that rely on people to help them, but now are on their own. Even kids and grandkids are avoiding them to protect them from exposure to the coronavirus. 
Many hospitals and healthcare facilities still have protocols in place so that patients have to face surgeries and recovery alone. In the times when we are used to drawing on the presence and strength of others, we are stuck with our own thoughts and fears.

I hope that you will take some time to offer someone some encouragement this week. It will be good for both of you!

In good news -- Chris got her 1st COVID vaccination shot this week. It's weird how exciting getting a vaccination has turned out to be.

Be well,
John 

Today

Sometimes it is difficult to live in the moment. The past is always there to remind you of how you got to the present place, and tomorrow is already clamoring for attention. There is still snow on the ground in places that are shaded from the sun -- a reminder of the brutal winter weather of last week, and I have a list of things to do to get ready for the spring. 

Why can't I just sit and enjoy the sun and the day with temperatures that will reach the warm side of 60f (15c)?

I do plan on enjoying the day. Today will include: 
     a trip to the recycling center to recycle paper, plastics, glass, and aluminum cans.
     a trip to the lumber yard buy material for my raised garden beds.
     I still have a couple of downspout flower beds to build (already have the material) that I may get started on.
     Some time in the hammock, enjoying the sun.

Geez, that's a lot!
I'd better get busy.

What ever you have planned for the day -- I do hope that you will enjoy it and revel in the moment of work/play/rest as it happens. It is possible to remember the past, plan for the future, and enjoy the moment -- all at the same time!

John

Lent - Day 2

So Day 1 wasn't a complete success. I only managed 10-15 minutes of meditation with The Venues' morning meditation group and I didn't make any cards, texts, or messages contacts. I did get my 40 minutes of exercise -- actually an hour -- by shoveling the drive, and my purposeful reading time.
The intermittent fasting was good, but today might be a challenge. I'm filling in at the shelter tonight and wakeful fasting is always more of a challenge than sleep fasting. Hopefully, it won't pose too much of a problem. 

I hit the indoor cycle for my 40 minutes of exercise this morning and have already got my reading in. I'm thinking about getting a mala to help with the more lengthy, purposeful meditation. I'm also thinking that maybe 40 minutes isn't necessary as a daily time, but that any good daily meditation/prayer practice will suffice. Eventually (beyond Lent), I expect to use more mobile types of meditation -- prayer walking, Tai Chi, yoga, etc.
I'm going to take advantage of the overnight time tonight to make a few of those encouraging contacts. 

It is not going to be my practice to post daily about my Lenten practices. Hopefully, there will be more posts like yesterday's or just some random rambling about something that improves life in some way. One additional Lenten practice is going to be try to be more understanding of other people's perspectives on any given subject. I hope to be less negative towards people with differing opinions and outlooks on life, understanding that I know little to nothing about their experiences that shape those outlooks.

I hope your Thursday has been a good one!

John 

Lent 2021: 40 Days of Self Improvement

It has been a number of years since I've looked at Lent as anything more than a season on the liturgical calendar. I think this year I will attempt to look at it in a little different light. I don't mean to be sacrilegious, but I'm going to use it in a very non-religious way. I do see it as a time of spiritual growth, but probably not in a traditionally accepted kind of way. It will mostly be a time of self evaluation and personal growth rather than any kind of self sacrifice or personal penance.

I'm calling it 40 Days of Self Improvement.

The Lenten season begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter Sunday. That's actually 46 days minus 6 Sundays (don't ask me why) for a total of 40 days.

Here's my plan:

40 days of 16/8 intermittent fasting
40 days of:  40 minutes of exercise (walking, cycling, weights, yoga, etc.)
                    40 minutes of intentional reading (philosophy, religion, faith, something contemplative)
                    40 minutes of purposeful prayer and/or meditation
Send 40 cards, letters, or messages of encouragement.
40 days of writing. I haven't figured out what this will look like -- blogs, personal journaling of what I'm reading, random thoughts of daily events -- I don't know, but it will be something.

It really isn't that much, but it will take some discipline to budget a couple of hours out of every day and to be purposeful about contacting people. I'm really not very good at working through a regular daily/weekly schedule. Hopefully, I'll be a healthier (both physically and spiritually) person by the end of it all. 

Any Lenten plans?

Be well,
John

Planning Ahead

How far do you plan ahead?

I have a couple of siblings that are planning to run half marathons later this year. That takes some advance planning and preparation.
A long trip (both long in distance and long in duration) takes some planning.
Deadline goals (lose 50 pounds by ...) take planning.

Here it is -- January 2nd, and I have no plans for the year.
The day is foggy, damp and already at the forecast high temperature of making it to the freezing point. That means I also have no real plans for the day.
I need to finish my student lesson so I can post it by tomorrow morning. It's nearly completed already.
I suppose we could take down Christmas decorations, but that's more Chris's decision than mine.
Hmmm...

I have a general plan for each day; drink coffee, write something for the blog (maybe), enjoy the day.
I've added something for 2021. It will take a while to make it part of the daily habit and may take a little effort and planning. I've posted it as my Facebook cover photo to remind myself.
This is it:

So I guess I need to plan on learning something and figuring out some way to be better than I was yesterday. I'll let you know how that works out.

How about you?
Any plans for '21?
Any plans for today?

John 

2020, Post 183

Post #183 of 2020.
Well, this is it -- the long awaited final day of the year 2020.
The realist in me isn't expecting anything miraculous (or even different) from tomorrow. We'll throw out the old calendar and breakout a new one, but nothing else is going to change.

With the new calendar page, many will make short-term promises or resolutions and work on changing some habits, attitudes, or lifestyles, but change is difficult and old, familiar ways are easy so...
The truth is we have that same opportunity every single day -- set the past behind us and make changes for the future. What makes January 1st different from any other day?
Remember the old saying, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life?"

Go ahead and make those changes. Go for a run. Pass on the desserts and junk food snacks. Stop drinking. Stop swearing. Write a letter or send a card. Whatever your plans are for being a better you -- do that. 
And if you mess up, there's always the next day for starting over.

But we never really get a clean slate. The consequences of our past will follow us. On January first -- DJT will still be president, another 200,000+ people (in the US) will test positive for covid, 3,000+ more people will die from it, vaccine distribution will be stalled, and I'll still be a fat, curmudgeonly 60 year old man.
Change is slow, elusive, and often difficult, but we are an adaptive species and change will come a little at a time.

No real resolutions for me. However...
There's a saying -- When you know better, you do better.
That will be my goal for each day -- Know more. Be better.

Happy New Year!

John

What's Next?

It's the morning after Christmas and even though we still have a weekend gathering ahead of us, it is time to start thinking about 2020.

I don't know that I have any real resolutions or goals in mind for the coming year, but there are a few things I'd like to do and a few things I'd like to do better. I suppose I should take a look at the successes and failures of 2019, but I'm pretty content to leave them in the past and move forward.

I'm just jotting down a few things as they pop into my head this morning. I'll have figure out the actual plans later. We have become more "green" in 2019 and I'd really like for that to continue. I've managed to reduce the use of single use plastics and will continue to look for ways to reduce plastic use. We've also done more recycling this year and I hope to continue that in 2020.
We'll be moving into our new home in a couple of months and I have hopes of using the land for a small (at first) garden and to plant some fruit trees. I've never been much of a gardening guy so it will take some work and some learning when it comes to harvesting and preserving our produce.
I've bought two books to help with new home projects. One is on solar power and one is on beekeeping. I have a feeling I'm in for a busy (and hopefully, productive) 2020.

One of the things that I did manage to do in 2019 was to read more books for pleasure. I am enjoying that and hope to do more of it. As much as I really like the feel of a good book, the part of me that wants to be more conscientious about the environment says that I should continue using an e-reader. Besides, it's both more convenient and less expensive. I can always use the library for an actual book.

Those are just a few things that I'm thinking about for 2020. I also need to be more focused on writing -- and not just blogging. I do have a couple of book ideas, but haven't gone past that and maybe a first chapter or two.
I'll have to see what 2020 brings for Out of My Hat. This is my 200th post for 2019 -- a new record! My previous high was 187 posts in 2017. I think my recent 56 day streak was also a record.
I may try to get back to more meaningful posts and opinions. Lately the blog has become more of a personal journal. That works for me. It's a bit therapeutic and helps me keep things organized in my head. I've also found that thinking before I write has helped me to think before I speak. When you write stupid things you have the opportunity to edit before posting. You don't get that chance when you say stupid things. I think blogging has helped me to say fewer stupid things.

What about you?
Any plans or goals for 2020?

John <><