I’m not going to do New Year Resolutions this year. They are a waste of time. In the last few years I’ve set myself resolutions to do unrealistic things like ‘run a marathon’ or ‘move house to Rhode Island’ or ‘finish in the top half of the fleet at the Laser Worlds’. Ha. What a waste of time that was!
Freakonomics has an interesting post under the meaningless and misleading title of Economics and New Year Resolutions in which they discuss whether NYR’s are aspirations, commitments to self, commitments to others, a clean slate, a signal, intertemporal reallocation (whaaaaaat?), or cheap talk. Geeze, I hate reading stuff by people that are even more anal and analytical than I am.
Anyway, where was I? Where am I? Oh yes. New Year.
I guess I do have some ‘aspirations’ for 2008.
1. Learn to kayak. I’ve been inspired by blogs like frogma and KayakQuixotica. It seems like a perfect complement to sailing (what to do on days when there’s no wind) and running (how to exercise the other half of the body). Now I live in an area full of ponds and bays and rivers it’s time to try out kayaking.
2. Take up some form of sailing that’s parent-child friendly or more accurately grandparent-grandchild friendly. Laser sailing ain’t, not really. Again I’ve been inspired by other bloggers, especially Edward at the EVK4 HyperBlog who writes about introducing his kids to sailing on San Francisco Bay. I want to be doing that with my grandkids in the not-too-distant future. (Oops - didn’t mean to reveal any secrets - make that one grandkid for now.) Emily is only two but the last two years went by in a flash. I have a dream that one day I will be taking her out on a boat where she can have a gentle and safe introduction to sailing and that, as a result, she will get hooked on sailing for life. Need to find the right boat first.
3. Get involved in giving back to the sport of sailing again. When I started writing this blog three years ago I was involved in all sorts of activities especially with kids to introduce others to the sport, and in other volunteer efforts to support local sailing activities. I gave all that up when we left new Jersey. I miss it. Need to start doing something along those lines again, maybe with one of the local community sailing programs.
4. Learn a new sailing skill. Perhaps trapezing. Hmmm. Did it once. But not well. (That’s a story in it’s own right that I need to tell here one day). Can’t stop learning just because I turn 60 in 2008.
5. Sail my Laser at least 100 days in 2008. Geeze, that’s almost a resolution. I’ve never really kept count but I doubt I’ve done 100 days of Lasering in any one year before. So this year I’m going to count the days and write about every one here.
6. Find something interesting to write here on the other 265 days. No wait, 266 days. It’s a leap year.
Happy Sailing New Year for Tuesday.
Original post by Tillerman and software by Elliott Back
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