Mid-Year Update 18 Days Late

If you are a regular reader of my blog, and there are only a few of you, I thought I would give you an update on my 2023 goals and resolution progress, about 18 days late.

I set these goals on January 1, just like the rest of the world, and then I provided an update after one week (why???), one month in, and I swear I did a 3 month update, but…..nope.  So here is where things stand, 6 months (and 18 days….) in.

Resolution 1:  180 Pounds

I have lost a total of 33 pounds.  180 pounds went from laughable on January 1 to hmmmmm…I can see it over the horizon now.  One interesting note is that when I stress-and-depress ate comfort food and gained weight, I created a “You Are A Fatass” box (that really was the label) where I kept the smaller clothes that didn’t fit, particularly my pants and slacks.  The idea at the time was to keep those for that proverbial time when I lost weight, but over time I lost hope and just donated all of it to Goodwill.  Now, switch to July 2023, and I am swimming in most of my pants and can’t go anywhere without a belt on.  Ce la vie.

Resolution 2:  7,500 Steps

I am behind by 25 days now.  I was knocked out most of June by serious back/piriformis/sciatic pain that required prescription intervention from my friends at Kaiser.  This also affected the next resolution below.  The good news is that I feel I have put that behind me and I am making up steps and bike time every day.  I am on track here.

Resolution 3:  Exercise Bike, 30 Minutes Per Day

I have 12 30-minute sessions to make up here.  I even did 90 minutes just yesterday.  I have had the bike for almost a year thanks to a birthday gift from friends Vince and Vianney.  And I can report that I have done over 800 miles on it.  I call it my introvert gym.

Resolution 4:  36 Blog Posts This Year

By this point, I should be ending July with 21 Blog Posts, and I am currently at 11.  I have been meaning to pre-date a couple blog posts on a couple my trips Back East and to the Southern US, so with some focus I should be able to get this back on track.

It is easy, being busy with far too many projects, to lose focus here.  I do enjoy writing, but I also find I am quite distracted at the computer.  Setting aside all apps and having just a single instance for writing should be feasible, but I need to do it with intention.

On a humorous note, a couple people fell for my April Fool’s post.  I shall endeavor to do the same next year.

Resolution 5:  Give Up Soda

I don’t know how seriously I was taking this resolution.  But after my first physical in 4 years (you know why it took that long), my doctor decided he didn’t like my A1C.  Not in emergency territory, but elevated enough to get yelled at.

So 95% of my sugar disappeared overnight.  I chuckled a little about the WHO/FDA fight over aspartame this week, as it became my lonely friend.  Although I occasionally cheat on aspartame with a bit of sucralose.

So the Caffeine-Free Coca Cola Classic is out, likely forever.  The Caffeine-Free Sugar-Free Coca Cola is okay.  The fact it is “okay” and not “spectacular” may help wean me off this stuff once and for all.  Sparking Ice Kiwi Strawberry is nice but a little expensive.

Resolution 6:  Fast Food (Only 12 Times)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.  Let’s move to 7.

Resolution 7:  Stop with the Red Meat (Only 12 Times)

Well.  After the A1C news, I went right back into my old red meat habits, they have lots of protein and no sugar, after all.  This will continue to be a tough one.  WHO, for that matter, considers basically all meat as a known carcinogen, and I am in my mid-40s, so the damage has probably been done.  But there is always tomorrow, and I can always try to eat more green stuff and some nuts and maybe not buy that expensive but delicious salami.  We shall see.

Resolution 8:  Save 10%

Yikes.  Forgot about this one.  Savings are at $0 and holding.  Life is pretty damn expensive.

Resolution 9:  100,000 Words

This one is much similar to Resolution 4.  The truth is that I don’t have any words down, which is a real shame.  I spend 30-60 minutes every single day out walking, and I often put something instrumental and/or ethereal on like William Basinksi, and daydream about all these stories and narratives I have in my head.

The same issue goes here with intention.  I have to be willing to sit down, block out distractions, and do it.

The chances of me getting to 100,000 words by the end of the year are slim, but I also am writing this 1,000 word blog post in about 20 minutes.  Granted, any work intended as art is going to be much more time-consuming and require several revisions, but I know I can make a dent in this.

For my readers who talk to me often, you’re welcome to yell at me about this goal.

Resolution 10:  Redacted

This one has failed.  It is pretty disappointing, and I am sure it would be great to speak to somebody close about it, but it is probably best to accept.  Not much more I can say on this blog about it, except that I think my 10 Resolutions have become 9.

But that is life, as I realize.  We don’t always get or achieve all the things we want or strive for in life.  In the past, I think I reacted in certain ways to hopes and dreams falling short – this would be why Resolution 1 was needed in the first place.

I suppose one of the measures in life is how we react when something like this doesn’t go our way.  Can we find a way to move forward?  Are there other ways to achieve our dreams?  Is this a loss that pre-dates a win?  I really don’t know, but I will need some more time to process this.  Enough about that.

Appreciate you taking the time to read, if you made it this far.  I mostly wrote this for me to process what I thought I could do early January, and see what I have done well and not well in July.  When I update next, it may be the end of 2023.  Until then, I’ll see you around.

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tmschultze

T.M. Schultze is a San Diego-based photographer, traveller, and writer. He writes, photographs, and draws things of the outdoors that have inspired humans for thousands of years. He co-authored the Photographer’s Guide to Joshua Tree Park which can be purchased here.