This is part 2 of a 2-part series. Click here for Part 1.
Resolutions related to my health, both physical and mental.
7. I will eat better.
When you set goals, you’re supposed to make them specific. This one is about as vague as they come, so I have some specific aspects to highlight.
I’m going to try to pack a lunch a few times a week to take to school. This will cut back both on meal plan costs, and on the amount of junk food entering my body. PB&J is my best friend. I’m going to keep fruit and nuts on hand for snacks at all times. If I run out, I will go to the store and buy more. I will learn to cook, so I don’t rely on processed food for every meal.
Finally, my big breakthrough in food: I will find some way to make some vegetable taste good. (Actually I already like corn and potatoes, so I’ll start there.) In learning to cook, I am determined to find some way of cooking at least one form of vegetable so that I will actually eat it. I’m 21 years old, it’s time to stop eating like a first-grader. I’m going to try different spices and herbs, and see what works.
8. I will exercise every day.
Last year, I rode my bike to class every day. (Most days, anyway.) This year, because of my class at the community college, I will be driving to my classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have decided that those days, I will do something in the morning (see number 4) to get my heart beating. I can go for a bike ride, I can run, or I can even just go for a walk. Of these, the only activity that I enjoy is walking, but I’m considering trying my hand at running to see if I can get in the habit.
9. I will write something every day.
I’m going to make more of an effort to keep this blog up. I’m not promising to post every day, because I just don’t see myself with the ability to crank out a full post that often, but I am going to write something, even if that just means scribbling down my thoughts on why I’m frustrated with some assignment. I’m considering setting a word limit, so I have to write a certain amount every day. I’m going to wait until I get into my classes to see what is really possible for me.
10. I will carry a book with me.
I enjoy reading. I don’t often have time to read, but would like to have the opportunity if I’m sitting around waiting for something. (Think standing in line, or waiting for a dentist appointment.) I’m going to get a new library card, since I don’t have any clue where my card from almost ten years ago is now, and I’m going to check out books. Books are expensive. There’s no point in spending money I don’t have when I could borrow it just as easily. If I find a book worth buying, I can check out Bookman’s. The bookstore could be a reward for reaching a goal, though. I love shopping in bookstores.
If I have a reading assignment for class, I will carry a textbook with me. I will make exceptions for this if the textbook is particularly huge. (I haven’t seen any of my books yet, so I don’t know.)
I will also compile all the listening assignments for my music classes into a playlist on my iPod and listen to it regularly. This is the only reliable way I have to get the music into my head, and I’ve discovered how much I enjoy listening to my iPod everywhere I go as I’ve been walking around Berlin. I have a radio transmitter so I can listen in my car, and will bring headphones so I can listen as I walk between classes.
11. I will carry my camera with me.
Before I left for my trip to Berlin, Germany earlier this summer, I was given a wonderful camera to document my trip. In doing so, I have discovered a love for taking pictures. I’m still very clearly a beginner, and since the best way to learn is to practice, I hope to start carrying my camera with me a lot, and give myself the ability to practice whenever I see an opportunity.
This doesn’t seem like something that really applies to my health, does it. (Well the first post was about academics, and it certainly doesn’t fit there…) Actually, I think it does. Taking pictures has become something I love to do, and I expect it will be a welcome escape from my homework.
I just have to remember to not let my photography, or reading, writing, exercising, and cooking for that matter, become an excuse to procrastinate on something more urgent.