Twenty Twenty Fore

I believe it was the great Christian philosopher Aleister Crowley who once said “You’ll be fine. Just avoid cheap whiskey and cheap hookers…”

Or something like that.

2023 was a year in which I didn’t accomplish everything I intended to, but in a way that’s okay because for the first time in a while I was reach for the sky instead of just surviving.

I moved into my own housing after a perilous amount of time in transitional housing. I continued on my journey to improve my mental health, successfully completing counseling and finding a combination of medication that clearly works for me – not a silver bullet, mind, but a solid set of tools.

Completed a divorce, despite some unusual and unexpected complications along the way. Do these things ever not have complications?

Watched my kids slowly yet steadily improve and succeed, first in Lockwood and now in a new school district. Continue to pick up new techniques and skills to keep a safe and clean household, even with the complications that are involved because I’m both a single parent and have the focus of a blind goldfish. I have to actually schedule cleaning tasks because otherwise I’ll be like “yeup, this needs clean,” and then absolutely forget about it when the next task or trial gets thrown my way. It isn’t an excuse, but it is something I need to work on as I improve my life a bit.

That said, I do need to make some changes and redirection. Last year I said “I am going to publish three books” and while I had a serial that did okay the moment I sent it in for editing things kind of went to shit and I never took the steps needed to recover. I did do some freelancing along the way, which was a nice change of pace, but that isn’t enough.

I did get back into content creation which was both fun and at times a learning experience, but a lot of what I did was not particularly focused or meaningful, which is problematic for a number of reasons.

My use of social media has improved in some ways, but I still have long stints where I use it as entertainment and not as a socialization tool. This is a problem I genuinely need to work on. My use of social media should be mindful and purposeful.

So, what is the plan for 2024? I have already made steps to learn more skills for home making, specifically in meal planning. At some point I’ll also learn a bit more about consistent upkeep. It is doable now more than it was several years ago.

Also, I am making it a point to read more. Last year, I barely read anything it feels like. I miss it, but I always find excuses. Other things get in the way. Time to kick some of those things out of the way.

Also, I intend to make myself write every day. I don’t care if it’s something as dumb as 100 sentences of “I have nothing good to write.” From there, whatever happens happens. There is zero excuse for me to not be chasing this dream.

More than that, though, there is one thing I want to do in 2024 that will be rather new for me:

I want to do new things. Experience new things. Get out of my comfort zone a bit. Challenge myself.

I’m at no better point in my life to start striving for these things than now.

I want to thank all of my friends and family who have been there for me. I truly have a lot of good people pulling for me.

But all the pulling won’t matter if I keep dragging my heels.