Three goals for the island and beyond.

I have goals in Key West this year. I have lifestyle changes that I am trying make. The island is an ideal platform to get started. When I leave, I want to carry new habits beyond. Here they are:

1) Eat much better
2) Spend much less
3) Exercise all muscle groups

Eating:

So far, my grocery purchases include zero processed foods. I look at the ingredient list, and I want to see at most two pronounceable words. I eat eggs most every day. Three eggs cook fast on my camp stove. Drop them in a puddle of oil, and the pot is a breeze to clean. Aside from that, I've eaten avocados, almonds, navel oranges, oats, flax seeds, and plain Greek yogurt. I will expand this list with other simple foods. I plan to put lentils on the list - and other staples that belong.

Then there's the booze. For some reason I drink Pinot Grigio now. The heart wants what it wants. Also, there's happy hour at Kelly's, and I am addicted to that shit. They serve three different beers for $2 a glass. Not quite a pint, but probably 12-14 ounces. It's a square deal in my book. Then, of course, they have wings. If I am drinking beer at a bar, I am going to be tempted to order wings. So I do.

Overall, I will grade myself an 8/10. I could improve the booze and chicken wing intake, but my daytime eating habits have been positively off the charts. As evidence, I am feeling great.

Spending:

It is no secret that I have been inspired by the writings of Mr. Money Mustache. Even in the areas of diet and exercise he has a lot to say. (Also he loves bicycles.) I am considering the advice that I read there, and finding ways that it can improve my life. There are about half a dozen articles there that I refer back to. Simple formulas are explained with math. For example: Do you want to know how much money you need to effectively retire? Figure out what your yearly spending is, and multiply it by 25. If you spend less, the number you need gets smaller.

Nearly all expensive things are stupid. There is a lower cost version of almost everything. (For example, the van that I live in was approximately cheap as fuck.)

I don't know what my average daily spending is. Starting in 2017, I aim to find out. I have a spreadsheet to track every expense. It is easy to maintain, because I do not spend much.

Exercising Muscles:

I could ride a bicycle until I fly off the Earth and smash a hole through the moon. In spirit, that is true. But my arms are noodles, and I'm a little bit flabby. It's only a matter of time until my back gets pulled.

I don't know how to properly work out. It is my mission to get informed. I am starting with pushups and situps. You have to start somewhere. There are easy apps which promise to get me up to speed.

Today I did 59 pushups, with minute-and-a-half rests between smaller digestible sets. It doesn't sound like much, but I struggled and sweated and groaned. "Holy crap!" I exclaimed in my brain... "This should not be!"

Skull Muscle Improvement:

Finally, I have a general desire to properly appreciate the present tense. My brain fills up with thousands of ideas and needs. The days are short, and I am not an adept taskmaster. The worries pop up like weeds. That's no way to live a life, man! You can't do every single thing in one day.

This is by far the area where I will need the most patience and persistence. To simply lay on my back and listen to crickets is at once beautiful, healing, and nearly impossible to maintain. The ideas and screams keep jamming up the airwaves.

But --- "That's ok!" The meditation apps and the people who I've spoken to about this tell me it is ok. I am trying my best to practice meditation. I am abysmal, but that is ok. I am listening to breathing and crickets and distant air conditioners. I am laying down on concrete and looking up at stars. I am laughing and grinning a lot these days. I am doing that because my life at this moment is so unbelievably great.