A New Hope

**This post should be dated 12/30/2011**

Ah, the feeling, it's almost here
It's cold and it's windy, it's the end of the year

Time for self indulgence or self reflection
A little of both, pulling me in both directions

To resolute, or is it resolve
Become a better creature, that's it, evolve

So here I am, at the end of the year. Does not feel like the end of anything, it feels good actually, to have some time to myself to reflect on events behind me, I want to think that I am always self reflecting but Kelly's week in the bahamas has really left me with a lot of time to think, by myself in my big empty bed.

I just got out of the shower, the first one I had taken in three days. I don't really sweat too much in the winter time and these past couple of days I have been up quite late and out of bed earlier than I usually get up, partly because the bed is so cold with only me in it, there's no reason to sleep in it any longer than necessary. am thinking that the temperature of the bed is significantly colder without her. Additionally I've been able to keep the curtain open which means the natural light, getting stronger by the day is really helping me to get out of bed.

Anyways, the looming new year is causing me to think about some resolutions except I am trying to keep these resolutions completely obtainable and trying to set up for them before the clock strikes.

They're easy, number one, "Be a good creature", this means taking care of my mind and my body, prioritizing my health over a good time, this includes some things that I have already begun to do and my resolution would really just be a comittment to maintain these habits. Yoga, has really allowed me to strengthen my shoulders and that will allow me to start lifting weights more confidently, I may just start with some of the bodyweight exercises in that book I bought a while back "The body you want in the time you have", that book supplies some great exercises that can be done in an hour or less that really build muscle. After going to yoga for a month, two or three times a week I feel much more confdent in my base strength level and I am definitely more aware of my posture and body alignment. This "resolution" also pertains to diet, eating mostly local plants and locally/minimally processed foods. Seems like it would be a major change for someone but it's really not. It is more work, yes, but the amount of good that it does your body far outweighs the pain and suffering you will incur when you spend more time preparing food and food products and it has long been an area of interest for me that I am enjoying exploring. Tasty!

Number two, "Watch out for myself", someone has to, right? By this I mean taking reasonable precautions for an emergency, keeping myself informed and educated about current events and having an emergency plan including a personal/family emergency/survival kit.

Number three, "Put a little money in my cash bag", this is a lyric from a hip hop/dance band and it always hits me. Stack that chedda, another euphimism for making money and, I believe, saving for a rainy day. This one means I will have to write out some things that are important to me and make sure my financial life is on track to meet those goals. I'm hoping to have a personal budget done in twenty four hours that I plan to stick to, which will help me get to Ladies Army in Kentucky and Paris on New Years Eve next year. Those two trips are the only ones I intend to go to, although I'm not ruling anything out, as long as it fits the budget. I've been doing some thinking and some reading and I realise that if I want to have a nest egg to fall back on I need to start now, I'm basically stealing from my future self and using it to buy drugs, alcohol, coffee and bike parts. Which are fun, don't get me wrong but they will not compare to the freedom that having a "fat stack" will later in life.

Not even that much later, I want to be able to enjoy myself, indeed through my whole life, but especially seeing as I'll probably live to ninety five easily, no reason to not plan for that future, the one where you're this fit, good looking older gentleman who rides his sweet bikes around, lives in a small flat in the city and will be some kid's coolest grandfather and great-grandfather even. Sounds fun, I want to get there.....and I want to get to space (time for that in another post)