Remember how I said I’d probably write on this once a week? Of course you don’t, you didn’t read that post. You’re probably not reading this post either. To be honest, I don’t expect too many people to read my blog. Maybe my mother will. I’m assuming my girlfriend will read this. If she doesn’t, who will? But I won’t blame anyone for not reading it. I’ll just tell myself it’s their loss. Of course when I fail to follow through on a simple statement like “I’ll probably write on this once every week,” I can’t expect any avid readers.
I feel like there are other goals I’ve failed to follow through on. Strangely enough, I can’t remember any of them. Maybe that’s why I didn’t follow through on them. Or maybe I’ve just blocked out any memory of failing. Actually, right now I’m looking at my goals for last fall. “Seek solitude with God for one hour every weekend.” Nope. “Fast one day every week- only to seek Him better.” Fail. “Review all notes the day you take them, come up with questions to ask during class.” Um, no. But don’t worry, I failed in all areas, even the minor ones- “Watch every Sooners and Dallas Cowboys game.” Couldn’t even follow through on the easy ones.
There were goals for the fall that I did succeed at. “Have $250 left in savings to use for next spring.” Check. “Read one book every month.” Nailed it. Wait- wow, that’s it. Those are the only goals I reached. Luckily, I almost reached a lot of my goals. That counts for something, right?
So maybe a good first blog post for 2012 would be “Most of the Goals I Somewhat Expect to Almost Reach Maybe”:
Run 5 miles at a time by March
You heard it here, folks: running is good for you. I could take up some space by explaining why scientifically, but I don’t want to bore you*. I hear it helps you lose weight and stuff. You should try it too. But seriously, I love running. It’s strangely relaxing- is that weird? I want to be able to run 5 miles in one outing by March, 3 times a week. I also want to discover the method of running on a treadmill that doesn’t make me terrified of slipping off the back and faceplanting. But we can’t have everything. One goal at a time.
Fast for 24 hours every two weeks
Fasting is for men, and I am but a boy. However, I know I was created a man, and I intend to strive for biblical manhood. While there may be no straight-up command to fast for Christians, Jesus assumes that we will fast (Matt 6:16-18). And yet I do not fast, nor have I thought about it much in nearly a year. In Darrin Patrick’s book Church Planter, he gives fasting as an example of a practice that cultivates dependence on God. I know that this dependence is something I need more of. It is something I will always need more of.
This is the last time I will mention fasting until after the semester- I have no desire to draw any more attention to this than necessary.
Play the piano 5 hours a week
Where on earth will I find 5 hours in my week? The answer to this I do not know, but I do know that I need some sort of creative outlet, and I do know that I love playing the piano, and I do know that my sister is letting me take her keyboard back to Norman. Therefore, this goal should be simple, barring studying emergencies due to crazy test scheduling. I want to start with pretentious classical pieces, then work in some more accessible songs, maybe some by Animal Collective. That’s funny because Animal Collective isn’t accessible. If you’re wondering who Animal Collective is, that’s why they’re not accessible.
Find a 10-20 hour job by April
This one I’m pretty lenient on. The last thing I want to do is work. More on my laziness in a later blog post.
Write on this at least once every week
I chose this one because it was so successful last year. Forgetting about 2011 for a second, I’ve thought seriously about writing in this blog for a long time. I’ve never really understood how blogs become popular. Do people really attract readers to their blogs who aren’t their friends or family? How do they do that? I’ve often thought that blogging takes a certain amount of ego (you have to think that what you have to say is important enough for people to read), a certain amount of time (this post alone has taken me about an hour and a half- I don’t have that kind of time during the school semester), and a certain amount of writing skill (I’d love to see the looks on my past English teachers’ faces if they heard that I’m writing a blog). I’m not sure I have any of those things (except the ego); I really just have a desire to write. I want to get my ideas out in words. Maybe someday I’d like to write fiction, a book or short stories. Maybe I’ll write about movies and books and music. Maybe I’ll try some stream of consciousness, avant-garde writing**. I don’t really know what I’m going to do with this blog, but I most definitely intend to write in it. If you keep reading, maybe I’ll surprise us both with what ends up getting posted.
I promise future blog posts will be more straightforward, less jokey, and more focused. Well, most of them. I honestly don’t know what my plans are for this blog. I plan to write, and that’s all I know. Stick with me while I figure out just what I’m doing- it should be sort of an adventure.
*I don’t know why
**probably not
Coulda Been a Contender 