We are 4 months into the year, 1/3 of the way on this 2023 journey, and it’s time for a 2023 Resolution Review. It’s that time of the year where I review what nonsense I came up with in January to try and fulfill, improve and better my life.  Vegas odds are usually 100 to 1 that I complete one of my resolutions, and the odds just get higher with the number of resolutions expected to complete.  Odds are better I’d get hit by a meteor before I complete all five New Year’s Resolutions.  If I ever do complete 5 out of 5, beware, the Apocalypse is upon us.  The Anti-Christ is born, an alien invasion is imminent.

So here we go.

Resolution #1 – I’m going to journal this year

Yes, I am journaling, if not every day, at least every other day. I have not gone more than 2 days without journaling.  So, there you go.  One out of five in progress.  Can I keep it up?  I think so.  It’s been somewhat therapeutic to journal activities, thoughts, and bitches.  I am conscious that one day someone will read my journal when I’m gone, but I don’t care.  I’m laying it all out there.

Resolution #2 – I need to slow down and don’t give a fuck

This one is hard.  My personality is all about worry and anxiety, whether it’s work or personal.  I worry I’m not doing a good enough job and they could walk me out, which then triggers worries about money because I still have adult children that rely on some amount of monetary support from me, including health benefits for my youngest son.  I still am impatient when I drive to and from work.  Too many slow fuckers in the fast lane!  So, not succeeding at this resolution.

Resolution #3 – I gotta lose weight

This one… this one was not happening until I met with an orthopedic surgeon for my messed up, no cartilage hip, and he said I needed to lose weight so we can have a successful operation.  So here we are 3 weeks later and I’m still on a low carb, low sugar diet and I am seeing weight loss results, slowly.  At my current rate, the surgery will be in September.

Resolution #4 – I need to write (complete) a book or comic book

This one is in progress but suffers from laziness.  I’ll have spurts of creativity where I’m outlining scenes, I’m writing descriptive paragraphs, I’m fleshing out characters, I’m using Scrivener and collecting my data. But spurts don’t write books.   I’ve got two book ideas I’m working on.  One is an action/Sci Fi idea and the other is a Memoir from a two-year period in my life when I was running my own business.  So, I’m going to set the status of this resolution as In Progress with a goal to have a draft of one of those ideas by the end of the year.  Perhaps NaNoWriMo will be the launching pad for getting a draft written.

Resolution #5 – I need to create, record, and release a song into the world

You’d think this one would be easy.  I have the equipment, I have tons of ideas, I can even play pretty much all the instruments or at the very least use drum loops for more complicated stuff.  And I have a composition notebook filled with song lyrics and a number of voice memo files of guitar riffs and melodies.  And I’ve done this before. Whenever I am noodling on my acoustic guitar, and I come up with a nice riff or chord melody I’ll open the Voice Memo app and record it.  So, I have a good number of those I periodically scroll through and keep/delete.  So, I am set up for complete success with this resolution.  I could probably come up with a 4 song EP if I put my energies into it.  This one has a good chance of getting done.

I’m going to go out on a limb and add a 6^th resolution.  I’m going to Blog once per week.  Hopefully every Monday I’ll be posting some semblance of entertaining musings about my life or thoughts on life in general.  I posted my first Monday blog on May 1, that just so happened to be my Vinyl of the Month post.  So check back every Monday for something new.

In summary, except for resolution #2, I am progressing in my other resolutions.  Buddha, forbid I start slowing down and not giving a fuck.  It will be the end of civilization as we know it or I will ascend to some sort of Godlike entity.  Is there a prize for completing all your new year’s resolutions?