So This is the New Year...

It's weird--so often I think about the 2000s as being the "new" century, but I have spent almost half of my life post-2000. It is doubly weird to think about the 90s as "the decade before last" and the 80s? Well, my memories of the 80s aren't vivid enough to have made a huge impression...

This was the first time that I celebrated the New Year in Japan--a fairly sizable earthquake on New Year's Day reminded me that a) tectonic plates do not make New Year's resolutions and b) God is in control this year every bit as much as He was last year.

It's been a few years (five, I think) since I made New Year's resolutions. Last year, when I had no resolutions, I decided that it might be nice to come up with resolutions for this year. I never officially resolved to do this, as that itself would have been a resolution and somewhat confusing. So without further ado, here are my resolutions for the coming year:

1) Exercise at least 3 days a week. I ran faithfully for a month during the summer and was settling into the habit when I came back to Japan in August... only to find that running outside during August in Japan takes an extra measure of motivation and endurance that I simply hadn't mustered up, so my daily running came to a complete standstill. I miss the feeling of regular exercise. So, I resolve to exercise several times each week, most likely jogging on the treadmills at school (maybe some weight-lifting, for good measure). At this point, I'm thinking Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.

2) Cook at least once a week. I cooked regularly during college, and definitely ate healthier when I was cooking for myself. Granted, there are added layers of challenge here, such as shopping for ingredients in Japanese, but I feel like my language ability (even minimal as it is) will allow me to find what I need. At this point, I am planning on making Thursday my cooking night (and shuffling that, depending on whatever else may be happening on Thursdays).

3) Write at least 3 times a week. I realize that comparing this resolution to what I've been doing actually looks like I am resolving to decrease my writing, but I'm simply looking to maintain my regular writing without locking myself into a schedule I cannot maintain. In reality, it will probably end up being more than 3 posts a week.

On Mar. 1, Jun. 1, Sept. 1 and Nov. 1, I will evaluate how I am doing in keeping up with my resolutions.