787. 2015 Resolutions

On the Eighth Day of Christmas it is customary to look ahead and resolve to do this, that, and the other. My Ten Resolutions for 2015 are: 1) Everybody's favorite - lose weight. I currently weigh the most I ever have. It is depressing. 2) Go swimming. It occurs to me I never once went swimming in 2014. 3) More canoeing. This is misleading as it implies I canoe with some regularity. My first canoe trip, on Floyd's Fork, was in 2014 arranged by Councilman Stuart Benson and with the encouragement and great help of my friend Shane. I'm hoping Shane will help me again. 4) Go hiking and/or camping. This is something I have done here and there my entire life, just not enough of. 5) Write more (and not on Facebook). Readers of my blog, Ohio River 606 (which will celebrate its 8th Birthday on Sunday), know that my entries have fallen to just a few each year. Were it not for Sherman Brown allowing me to post his Counties game this past year, there would have been fifteen entries as opposed to 135. 5a) The writing directive implies I should start one of the three books I have been writing in my head for decades. 6) Take a foreign language class in the Jefferson County Public Schools Adult Ed program. In high school I had four years of Spanish, one of Latin, and two of Russian. Language and language development have always been interests of mine. 7) Work on my house. It isn't bad but it needs work. And I need to go through the fifty or so boxes which remain unpacked in either the front room or the garage. 7a) Work on the garage. I really don't need all those old yard signs, some dating back to 1985. 8) Get a little more involved in the causes in which I believe. While I run my mouth on Facebook and make nominal donations now and then, I need to dedicate a little more time and talent. My causes are generally limited to three fields - religion, politics, and theater. 9) Celebrate every day the friends, family, co-workers, and acquaintances which make up every day of life. There is a 1936 song stating "Christmas comes but once a year." It is good to remember that other than February 29th all the other days do as well and are deserving of celebration. This also implies mending the fences I tend to erect now and then with certain souls. 10) Did I mention losing weight?