23 for 2023

I did well in reading Novels in 2022 but still fell short of my goal, and I completed the Hike of Hadrian’s Wall (Amazing) thanks to Angie. But, as usual, many excuses prevented me from focusing on and completing most of the 2022 items. I will again attempt in 2023 to focus on a smaller list of things to accomplish versus starting the year with a New Year’s resolution.

I have a terrible habit of working on office items after returning home. When I am teaching, which has been every quarter, I will routinely answer work-related emails from the students up until 2300. So, this year, I plan to attempt to leave the work at the door:

  1. Don’t Bring Work Home with Me.

After years of thinking about it, we finally bought a Class B RV – we have dubbed it the Runabout. The goal this year will be to get out and use it:

  • Embrace Time in the Runabout (At Least 23 Nights).

Each of the following five items is part of my multiple set of hobbies that I have but do not do anything with – it drives Angie a bit crazy. I plan to try and achieve some level of activity on each, and by allowing it to be crappy, I hope it pushes me over the need to be perfect before I start:

  • Write 23 Short Stories (1,000 – 5,000 words).
  • Write a Crappy Novel.
  • Build a Crappy Model Railroad.
  • Make a Stop Motion Animated Short Film.
  • Build a Diorama and Enter it in a Contest.

The following four items focus on health and my effort to try to live healthier in 2023:

  • Embrace the Plant-Based Whole Food Lifestyle.
  • Work out at least three times every week.
  • Complete at least 23 miles of Races.
  • Complete at least 23 Hikes of 4 miles or more.

The following three items are an attempt to focus some of the 3,832 hours I have with real interests:

  1. Read 10 Novels.
  2. Watch 23 movies that aired NLT 1990.
  3. Make at Least 23 Blog Entries.

The following five items are an attempt to get rid of the mini-screens in my life and to allow us to get back to some items with our hands:

  1. Continue Friday Pizza and a Movie Night.
  2. Start Game Night with the Family.
  3. Start No Tech / No Computer Saturday.
  4. Setup Home Maker Space.
  5. Make More Stuff with the Family.

We have a gorgeous backyard and entertainment space that has gotten out of control, and we are not using it. I hope to recapture and take advantage of it in 2023.

  • Work at Least 23 Hours a Quarter in the Backyard (That’s only seven odd hours a month!).
  • Host at Least 4 Backyard Gatherings.
  • Finally, Learn to Make Good Pizza and Pasta.

The last item is simply a peace of mind item.

  • Complete the payments on the Runabout.