Monday, January 1, 2018

1.1 - Beginnings

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything worthwhile. The new year is always a good time to work to change that. I love New Year’s resolutions. We’re a stubborn culture that is stuck in our ways, and I think it’s good to always reevaluate things. So here are a list of things I’m going to do.

- I want to get back in the rhythm of regular writing. So here’s my schedule:

Mondays: Write three things I’m thankful for. I think I’ll usually have other things to say, so I’ll include that at the end of whatever blog post I’m writing.

Wednesday: Write a letter to someone.

Friday: Review something. I want to get more into music reviews, and I know the best thing to do is to just write. We’ll see where it goes.
I also have a journal. My goal is to update a half page of it every day.

- I want to read 30 books. I think it’s a good goal to read your age in number of books.
- I want to do a headstand in yoga. I’ve gone to a lot of Yoga classes the last few years. I’ve benefited from the regular practice, but I want to take it to the next level.

Lastly, I’m going to quit Twitter for at least a month. I got into a discussion with some friends while on retreat at St. John’s about racial issues. I found myself continually saying “I saw on Twitter.” I realized how stupid of a way that is to gauge the pulse of a nation. It’s stupid to always listen to the loudest people.

Second, I just don’t need that many opinions in my life. I don’t think the human mind was designed to process emotions at that rapid of a rate. It’s hard to just sit with anything and think about it while on Twitter. It rewards the fastest opinion. Also, I just can’t deal with people’s anger about Trump in such a steady stream. Yes, I hate the man, but I don’t want to hear people yelling about him all the time. That’s just not healthy.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the good things I’ve gotten from Twitter: I’ve met some cool people that share some similar interests, some of them have even become friends. I’ve also been able to use it to say thanks to people I like. (I made a joke that most of my tweets are about how much I enjoy different people’s podcasts.) But even that’s not enough to keep me on there. If I really want to thank someone, I can make the effort to go to gmail and email them about what I like. And if there’s a person I’m truly meant to connect or keep in touch with, I will do it. I have other avenues.

So, I’m going to sign off for a month and see where it goes. If I really need it, I’ll bring it back. I also still have to use Twitter for work, so I’ll still be able to see any newsworthy tweets through there.

Ok, this writing thing has felt like exercising again for the first time in a long while. It’s choppy and hard, but it’ll get better.

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I’m thankful that I’ve still maintained good in-person friendships. I had a group of friends over today to watch the LSU-Notre Dame game. I made brats and we had a couple of beers. I was told a long time ago by a friend that I’m very good at investing in my friendships. I wonder if that’s because I’m not married and I don’t have kids. Even so, it’s something I’d like to continue as I get older. Friendships are so weird because they are people you chose to hang out with. They’re not family, and you don’t get any of the other benefits that come with being married. It’s a completely voluntary relationship that you’re not bound to legally or by blood. It’s kind of weird when you think about it.

I’m thankful for Yoga. I’ve never been much of an intense workout guy. I like to run, but I like to go at my own pace. I don’t like strict training schedules because I have a hard time sticking to them. I’ve found that I enjoy Yoga because it gets me away from the stressful things in my life, mainly my phone. It’s both relaxing and physically challenging. I’m not always into some of the hippy-dippy stuff. However, I’ve found that aroma therapy is super underrated. I’m looking forward to growing my practice a little bit in this next year. Maybe I’ll even try aerial yoga.

I’m thankful for the writer Will Leitch. He’s been an inspiration to me, and I’ve been lucky to find out that he’s a pretty reachable guy. He responds to emails regularly, so it’s cool to find out that he cares enough about his readers to connect with them. Leitch was part of the inspiration for me to give up Twitter for a while. He doesn’t use it very much anymore, for many of the reasons I described. I’m currently in the middle of finishing his year in review movie podcast with his friend Tim Grierson. I like how they’ve turned pretty much a lifelong friendship into such an enjoyable program.



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