‘Tis the season for making resolutions for the New Year. Here are five I made on December 29, 2009! They still need some work in achieving them.
- Mind my waste. I’ve become increasingly sensitive to my having “too much stuff”—affluenza? and too little time to enjoy it. It now makes sense to me to enjoy what I have, explore its potential, and use it more efficiently, more generously, and more wisely. Two very specific projects I have in mind for the near future are 1) spending time mastering the many features of the blogging application Typepad which I have yet to explore, and 2) fully mastering the features of my Mac. Clearly, this resolution still needs managing in 2023. With retirement I can clearly see that I have far too much “stuff” and clutter and far too little time especially with the problem of time confetti. Though I no longer use Typepad, WordPress continues to evolve faster than I can keep us with and I now am attempting to master the new Ventura MAC operating system on my MacBook Pro M1 laptop.
- Harm no good. Pauline Chen’s marvelous and marvelously written book Final exam: A Surgeon’s Reflections on Mortality has caused me to reflect deeply about what I want to accomplish (and to avoid) in my remaining years. Clearly, pandemic events of 2019 and the death of Leo the Great in July of that year have impressed upon me the fragility of mortality and the importance of savoring the goodness of life. I do embrace the ideas of successful aging described in Dr. Michelle Braun’s excellent book The High Octane Brain. And Rollie, the latest canine addition to the family has worked her way into my heart.
- Do a right thing.I am not omniscient; therefore I have no way of knowing if I am doing THE right thing. But it is obvious to me that there continues to be room in Professor David’s Neighborhood for doing something just because it is A right thing to do — Being good for goodness sake as Mom advised me.
- Do a Write Thing. I’ve discovered that I truly enjoy the act of writing. Encouraged by feedback I’ve received from you, My Reader, I hope to make the act of writing a daily habit. There’s this short-story I’ve been threatening to write for years. And that history of that small college.. and…
- Do a Thing Right. A perfectionist I am not, though I do enjoy striving for consistent excellence in many of my endeavors. However, I need to make time to return to some of my failures and try again. Happy New Year
