No Whistling Hiawatha

There's only one time in my life where I made a New Year's resolution and stuck with it. 

photo attribution below*

That was the year I resolved to exercise and lose weight. I kept to this resolution for a few years, and it actually worked. I dropped the weight and felt great.

Then, in spite of my protestations that I'd never backslide, I began doing just that, putting a bunch of the weight back on. 

So, here we are, another year dawning, and the specter of resolutions has risen its ugly head again. Time to compile yet another list of mostly-things-I-won't-do. Here goes:

1. Engage in less social media. This resolution has become quite popular it seems, especially given the intrusive nature of ads and the proliferation of trolls in social media. However, I'm already mostly what some would call a "shut-in," so cutting off this form of contact with the outside world seems a bit extreme.
2. Buy fewer jigsaw puzzles. Ya, that's not gonna happen. Instead, I'm going to be more selective about the ones I acquire, take full advantage of the puzzle exchange at the library and complete and give away any puzzles in the stash.
3. Get rid of some of my books. This is an ongoing battle. There are doubtless some books I can easily part with. But I suspect this item will be on my list of resolutions into infinity.
4. Return to my exercise routine. This one is actually doable. My workouts were put on pause during whatever-this-lingering-virus-is, but I plan to begin anew next week. 
5. Cut down on portions. Notice I didn't say "lose weight." That's the ultimate goal, of course, but if I start by putting less food in my pie hole, the result will be the same.
6. Learn how to use my new air fryer. This holiday gift from my employer is currently sitting in my kitchen, staring at me accusingly day after day. It seemed like a good idea when I chose it from the catalog of gifts, but now I have to actually use the bugger. (Anyone have any good recipes they can recommend?)
7. Complete one of my sewing projects. I have several to do. Surely I can finish at least one of them this year. (Alas, history has proved otherwise.)
8. Organize my photos. This one is pure pie-in-the-sky, of course. One look at the pile of pictures is enough to put me into procrastination mode. And sorting through my digital pics (most of them of the cats we've had) will take decades. (Is that Marge, Mabel or Maggie?)
9. Improve meal planning. Several years ago, I went through the huge stack of recipes I'd copied and organized them. But I still make the same couple dozen or so meals. It would be nice to expand my repertoire. 
10. Reduce intake of caffeine and chocolate. You all needed a good laugh today, right? Here you go.

After considering all of the above, I realized they all had to do with external forces. But what I really need is something that satisfies from within. So, tapping into my spiritual side (which has gotten lost somewhere in day-to-day survival mode), I came up with a plan to start meditating again. If I can carve out a half hour after dinner every night, I think this will help my transition from work mode to relax mode. It's the one thing I can do that will help me feel better about myself. 

So, y'all are my witnesses. I've stated it publicly, so now I feel like I have to fulfill this resolution. The other stuff can wait.

Except for the air fryer. I really need to start cooking on that one!

*Bob Satterfield, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. I didn't understand the reference to "Whistling Hiawatha." Tumbling down the rabbit hole, as I am wont to do, I found this on YouTube.