Resolutions are like opinions (no, not like that), they’re easy to articulate, and harder to put into practice. Though I’m skeptical of my own ability to stay on target, I’m doubling down on my resolutions this year, because, perhaps more than any other recent year, I think I’m going to need to be a better version of myself this year, for the people around me, and for the world at large.
So, here’s my list of intentions for the year. If I get anywhere with any of them, I’ll be happy.
First, in 2025 I’m going to do yoga. As frequent readers and listeners have heard, I’ve accumulated a lot of injuries and have a lot of physical baggage. I did a lot of yoga in my 30s, and I like it, but as life got busy, I stopped making time for it. It’s now become really clear I have to get back to it if I want to ride my bike the way I want to ride my bike. Discussing this with my friends, I think we’re all on the same page, so I’m excited to see how I can make yoga work in my life both on my own and socially.
Second, in 2025, I’m going to meditate. This might seem like gilding the lily if I’m already doing yoga, but actually they’re unrelated. In 2024, I became aware of just how much the internet and social media had come to dominate my mental life, with the result that I felt more anxious, more scattered and less content than I’d been in a long time. I don’t love sitting still. Like you and everyone else, I’m bad at it. But that’s ok. I get it now. The point is just to sit there and see what happens, as free of outside distractions as possible. My tentative efforts so far have produced mixed results. That’s also totally fine. In 2025, I’m going to meditate, and try to take my mind back.
Third, in 2025, I’m going to ride more miles. If you know me, these are strange words to come out of my mouth. I’m a person for whom data isn’t interesting or helpful. I don’t find it motivating. BUT…I’m a happier person when I spend more time on my bike, and though I don’t plan to count my miles, I do very much intend to ride more of them. In 2024, I mainly rode my mountain bike. In 2025, I want to ride my town bike, my road bike, all the bikes. I want to shift my lifestyle back bikeward, because I slipped into a lot of driving in 2024, and driving doesn’t enhance my life.
Finally, in 2025 I’m going to read more. Reading enriches my mental life and improves my writing. The internet interferes with my reading life. You can sense a them here, yeah? So I’m going to read more in 2025. I have a fresh pile of books, and I’m committed to changing my downtime habits for the better.
So there it is, not just one, but four resolutions that I’m serious about. They seem obvious. They seem like lay ups, but my capacity for poor decision making is like everyone else’s, so we’ll see how it goes. What, we wonder this week, are your resolutions?
Something that might help with two of your resolutions:
I recall you and Stevil discussing meditation a few episodes of Revolting ago. Your comments about meditation then and your perspective on things in general made me think that Brad Warner’s book, Sit Down and Shut Up, might be an interesting read on how to approach meditation. He’s got a blog (Hardcore Zen) that, while hasn’t been updated in a while, has lots of information if you want to explore before getting the book, though you could get the book from the library or use your library account to download an ebook copy from the Libby app.
Don’t ride more miles, ride more time
For many reasons my ride days were at an all time low in 2024. My resolution for ’25 is to reverse that trend. And ride the VT50 again.