Month: January 2025

I decided not to start this new year off with pie-in-the-sky goals encumbered with To-Do lists and planning charts. Instead, I’ve chosen to randomly tackle those tasks and projects that taunt me whenever I walk through the house.

Now, to be clear, I still maintain a daily planner. But that’s simply because I can’t remember things from one minute to the next, and if I ever hope to accomplish anything the least bit productive, I need to write it down as soon as it enters my head. Otherwise, it winds up being a lost idea I don’t recollect ever having. I’m simply not creating any formal, step-by-step outlines expecting to achieve the impossible. The only thing I’ve ever really accomplished with those is proving how easy it is to produce an epic fail. This year, I’m just going to be aware of what needs to be done and try to do at least some of it.

So, with the first month of 2025 coming to a close, I decided to look back to see just what, if anything, I’ve managed to do: 

• I dragged my little treadmill (walking pad) and exercise bike to my room in the garage to set up a dedicated home gym. My dumbbells, workout DVDs, and TV are already out there, and it will be nice to have all my workout goodies in one place. I’ve also ordered an inversion table to add to the mix because my lower back has been cranking up the pain volume, and no amount of stretching seems to help. For those of you who recall my not-so-stellar experience with an inversion table a couple of decades ago, my pain now outweighs my fear of landing on my head. Which I did back then. (But only once. Even I have enough sense not to repeat something so preventable.)
• I met my monthly reading goal (two books a month going alphabetically by title). The first was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and the second was The Bell Jar. The latter wasn’t a particularly enjoyable read, so going forward, I’ll try to select subject matter that’s a bit less depressing. 
• I’ve been working on a short story – actually more of a novella – that I abandoned many years ago. It feels good to be back at it, and it will be included in a book of short stories I hope to publish this spring.
• What has pleased me most so far has been going through my clothes and getting rid of all the stuff I don’t – or can’t – wear. I’ve generally done a purge every year, but I’ve always hung onto a few things that didn’t fit because, you know, they might fit at some point in the future. That off-in-the-distance moment never seemed to arrive, so this time, I diligently bagged up almost everything that didn’t fit. The one exception was my wedding suit. It’s unlikely to ever fit again – not to mention the fact that it’s out of style – but its sentimental value gives it carte blanche to live in the back of my closet forever. 

I’m happy with all of the above, but the last one goes beyond a mere feeling of accomplishment. As I reduced the amount of clothes in my wardrobe, I noticed how much better I felt with every item I put in the donation bag. Part of it was due to that warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you’re doing something to benefit someone else. But I also felt a weight lift off my shoulders because I was letting go of all those reminders of failed diets. I’m finally beginning to accept myself as I am rather than how I wish I could be. For the past 40 years or so, my one major demon has been the constant battle with my weight. While I haven’t given up the fight, I won’t let it control me any longer. If I lose weight, I lose weight. If I don’t, I don’t. 

At almost 70, I figure it’s time to be okay with who I am…at least until I stumble upon that elusive genie in a bottle.