love you for a long time / new year goals
I wrote a few years ago that I didn't like New Year Resolutions because it makes it seem like change can only occur at arbitrary milestones like a new year. I still think that's true, but years are easy to keep track of, easy to reflect on, and natural pivot points for change, especially now that I don't have the school year cycle to rely on.
In 2018, I wrote that in 2019, I wanted to:
Write more
I think I did pretty well with this. I started a "writing coalition" with two high school friends and we were pretty good about meeting for at least the first half of 2019. I wrote a lot of therapeutic pieces about love and loss, and became more comfortable sharing vulnerable pieces of work, especially informal vulnerable pieces, with people close to me
Read 60 books
I just finished my 125th book! This exercise made me realize how much time I could put to good use throughout the day. Instead of scrolling through social media endlessly, I try to direct that time towards reading, even if it’s just a few minutes. It has helped me develop a longer attention span and a stronger awareness of time while enabling lots of interesting learning
I was hesitant about including too many ambitious goals in December of 2018 because I wasn't in the best place emotionally, but it's comforting to know that I accomplished much more than I thought possible, in a variety different ways.
For next year, some personal goals include:
JANUARY - FEBRUARY
Get consistent on snowboard toe-side carves
Start building things again! I’m working on designing a camper bed / storage setup in the back of my Honda Fit for extended road trips
FEBRUARY - MARCH
Learn basic automotive repair and maintenance — oil change, flat tires, common engine issues, etc.
MAY - JUNE
Do 2 of the California Six-Pack of Peaks (I want to do more but I have had some knee injuries this past year and don’t want to overkill)
Yosemite?
JULY - AUGUST
Go surfing one more time
SEPTEMBER
Roadtrip to Arizona, Utah, up to Wyoming and Montana, across to Washington, down to Oregon, and back home. I really want to see the Grand Tetons, Glacier National Park, all the unique landscapes of Utah, and go back to Oregon
Shoot lots of sweet, sweet medium format film during this trip
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
Read 44 books. I learned an incredible amount from my aggressively continuous book consumption this year, but I want to be more mindful of the time I spent learning vs doing, and spend more time out in the world working on tactile skills and working towards change I believe in
Get involved in Citizens Climate Lobby and other volunteer opportunities in the local area
More musical engagement — I want to pick up learning percussive guitar again, and continue practicing pipa, piano, and drums regularly
Not spend any money on the categories I outlined in my previous post
other updates
I got my car, Gari, tinted! Last summer was pretty miserably hot every time I got into my car since I park my car outside. 55% in the front, 15% in the back. Since summers are just getting worse, seemed worth the investment.
Found a makerspace, Urban Workshop, in OC that offers monthly access to a wide variety of tools. Will be using them as my camper car build plans come together (thank you 🐨)
Made vegan pot pie for Friendsgiving and it was quite good, would recommend this recipe
Excited to see some long distance friends over the holidays and upcoming month
Mobile garden is going quite well. There’s little kale leaves coming in!
reflection questions
What makes you feel loved?
If you could ensure that you accomplish one thing in the new year, what would it be?
