Resolutions for 2015


I woke at seven this morning, feeling dreadful. I’d fallen asleep on the sofa at 11:30 on New Year’s Eve, because I’m a total party animal, and then been woken by fireworks and shouting, and then fallen back to sleep again. The interrupted sleep meant I still didn’t get much benefit, but after half an hour I forced myself to get up and go for a run: a gentle 25 minutes, where I had to dodge between crowds of drunks trying to catch taxis. At least one person shouted a happy new year to me though, so that was nice.

We had a busy day, not doing too much. After our first breakfast at home, we took La Serpiente Aquatica Negra up to Ronin for scrambled egg, where she managed to fall and put three gouges in her knee. Then, as she was still wide awake, instead of returning home for her customary nap, we walked up towards the Esplanade and I wore myself out running around with my daughter under my arm like a rugby ball. And then we went home and went to sleep.

This afternoon, we did less, and stayed at home until about four, when we went out shopping for the first time since before Christmas. Our daughter got a new stuffed toy (a very small blue manatee) to go alongside big and small Ceciles (we almost bought her a mid-size Cecile, but that would have been a bit too much octopus). I searched unsuccessfully for a comfortable pair of flip flops, but did manage to buy a new set of headphones. They’re waterproof, and the reason for that will shortly become clear.

We ate dinner at a Thai restaurant in the mall. I was a bit ashamed to realise this was probably the first Thai food I’ve eaten since I was last in Bangkok (at the end of 2013). Clearly I’ve eaten a bit too much Italian food over the last 12 months, to the exclusion of all else. But then, I like Italian food…

Then home to bathe our daughter, a thankfully rapid and efficient process, and put her to bed with the last chapter of The Trumpet Of The Swan. Which gives me time to concentrate now on resolutions for 2015.

I’m going to run a marathon, or two half marathons this year. I’m going to get a better time than I have previously. That is going to require a lot of training, which is mostly going to have to occur early in the morning before my daughter rises and yells at me.
I’m going to learn more Spanish. This is compatible with my first resolution, because Spanish classes are in the evening. Also, because I have a pair of waterproof headphones, on all my long runs I can catch up on Spanish podcasts and hopefully stuff more vocabulary into my brain.
I’m going to meditate for five minutes every day. If you’re going to stuff all that extra stuff into your head, you need to have time to keep it tidy.
I’m going to work on my time-travel story. I’ve got ideas for it. I just haven’t been disciplined about getting them down on paper. Perhaps this can be the year I’m more focussed on that, now that I seem to have read most of the internet.
I’m going to take bachata lessons. I’ve found a dance studio round the corner. I’ve got a babysitter. Now I can finally get round to what I’ve promised my wife, and put my two flat feet into a series of interesting configurations.
I’m going to make my blog more consistent. I write something for cushtie.com every day. I worry that not every day is interesting. In order to try to add some extra structure, I’m going to try to have certain themes for each day of the week, rather than just a constant mash of undifferentiated stuff.

There are other, lower level things that I’m doing as a matter of course now. Every day I read my daughter her bedtime story. Every time I take a shower I remember to do some exercises while I’m washing my hair. In 2015, I want more things like that to be systematic, part of my daily structure, and require less conscious effort.

Oh, and having made a video about the year of the horse, I’d like to do one about the year of the Ram this year. Is that a resolution, or an ambition, or a goal?


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