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walkitoutOnce again, the end of one year and the beginning of another.
This year’s project or theme — I can’t really call it a Resolution — was to get better at consistently making a variety of drinks. I did! It was a great project. People hit “like” on my drink pictures on FB. I met fun people at restaurants and bars, and nerded out about amari. I have new favorite things. The people at Colonial Liquors gave me a nickname. The very nice man who runs the place always finds me every single thing I ask him to order for me. It feels in a lot of ways like it used to feel, haunting used book stores to complete a series and talking books with people.
Food Waste was in the news this year, and I fought really hard to not let it influence me, just as I once did with the locavore trend. I failed. I discovered that it is actually worth zesting limes and grating ginger. I discovered the joy of finely chopped cilantro stems. I also learned (some of) which friends have the gene that makes cilantro taste evil, so I don’t inflict that on them.
This year contained the 20th anniversary of retirement for me (I’m going to pretend that all paid employment after I quit full time employment Does Not Count). I didn’t throw a party; I’m very bad at figuring out what people will think of various things I say or do, but even I can tell that throwing a party for that milestone is not going to increase the totality of love and friendship in one’s life.
We went to national parks. My son went to summer camp.
I gave a lot of money (from my perspective) to political campaigns in the midterms.
I was adjacent to the most expensive auto repair I’ve ever been near in my entire life (warranty, hence, “adjacent”). I still love the car involved.
Obviously, I wish everyone happiness, good health and things of that nature in the next year.
Here are some specifics that I am going to put out there, for the Universe — and my very limited readership — to contemplate.
Tell the people that you love, that you love them. Then tell them your other, potentially less attractive, but still important, feelings. Remind them that you love them. And if appropriate and if you can, move into a problem solving mode from there.
If you have been waiting a long time to do something, figure out if you can just fucking start already. If you can’t — valid, and full support! — identify when you _can_ start, as in, a date certain, put it in your tickler file equivalent (this could be a project, too! But if not, you could get a tattoo) and go do other things, sure in the knowledge that That Day Will Come.
Finally, and I think this might be the most important thing for _me_ to remember, as next year will be the year I turn 50:
Everyone is going to die some day. The Elder God Murphy dictates that of course many of those who die young are those we feel great affection for (and there is some kind of opposite of that which is also true). So. Back to points 1 and 2: tell the people you love how you feel. Do what you want — and start soon.
Good luck out there and stay safe. 2019 might be a bumpy ride. If the past is any guide at all.
This year’s project or theme — I can’t really call it a Resolution — was to get better at consistently making a variety of drinks. I did! It was a great project. People hit “like” on my drink pictures on FB. I met fun people at restaurants and bars, and nerded out about amari. I have new favorite things. The people at Colonial Liquors gave me a nickname. The very nice man who runs the place always finds me every single thing I ask him to order for me. It feels in a lot of ways like it used to feel, haunting used book stores to complete a series and talking books with people.
Food Waste was in the news this year, and I fought really hard to not let it influence me, just as I once did with the locavore trend. I failed. I discovered that it is actually worth zesting limes and grating ginger. I discovered the joy of finely chopped cilantro stems. I also learned (some of) which friends have the gene that makes cilantro taste evil, so I don’t inflict that on them.
This year contained the 20th anniversary of retirement for me (I’m going to pretend that all paid employment after I quit full time employment Does Not Count). I didn’t throw a party; I’m very bad at figuring out what people will think of various things I say or do, but even I can tell that throwing a party for that milestone is not going to increase the totality of love and friendship in one’s life.
We went to national parks. My son went to summer camp.
I gave a lot of money (from my perspective) to political campaigns in the midterms.
I was adjacent to the most expensive auto repair I’ve ever been near in my entire life (warranty, hence, “adjacent”). I still love the car involved.
Obviously, I wish everyone happiness, good health and things of that nature in the next year.
Here are some specifics that I am going to put out there, for the Universe — and my very limited readership — to contemplate.
Tell the people that you love, that you love them. Then tell them your other, potentially less attractive, but still important, feelings. Remind them that you love them. And if appropriate and if you can, move into a problem solving mode from there.
If you have been waiting a long time to do something, figure out if you can just fucking start already. If you can’t — valid, and full support! — identify when you _can_ start, as in, a date certain, put it in your tickler file equivalent (this could be a project, too! But if not, you could get a tattoo) and go do other things, sure in the knowledge that That Day Will Come.
Finally, and I think this might be the most important thing for _me_ to remember, as next year will be the year I turn 50:
Everyone is going to die some day. The Elder God Murphy dictates that of course many of those who die young are those we feel great affection for (and there is some kind of opposite of that which is also true). So. Back to points 1 and 2: tell the people you love how you feel. Do what you want — and start soon.
Good luck out there and stay safe. 2019 might be a bumpy ride. If the past is any guide at all.