Early New Year’s Resolutions
13 Jul
by Nathan Hartswick
So, I’m back. You may not have noticed it, but I pretty much vanished off the face of the earth for about six weeks in June and July.
This is because: A) I was house sitting for some friends out in the sticks, and B) I had mono for a month and a half.
As miserable as the experience was, it forced me to be away from anything resembling work for a very long time, and as a result I started examining my lifestyle pretty carefully. In the last year, I’ve been taking on too many projects (paid and volunteer), and getting sick a lot more often.
So I took the hint, and made a half-dozen resolutions I thought I would share here, in case you’re struggling with stress and ill health too. I decided to:
1. Eat better. A major part of my recovery from this illness was due to a much healthier, nearly-all-raw diet I adopted. Now that I’m feeling better, I’m continuing the diet. Gradually, I’ve been replacing everything even remotely unhealthy in my house, from breakfast cereals to shampoos. Most surprisingly, I haven’t had – or missed – my morning cup of coffee in two months.
2. Take more breaks. Being on the computer – whether it’s for work, social media or just wasting time – is addictive, especially when your office is your living room. Nobody needs to be connected to the internet every waking minute – and I was. I’ve resolved to step away from it a couple times per day, and leave it off at least one day per week. And I’m going to adopt a similar restraint with the iPhone.
3. Meditate. I used to meditate regularly to center myself. As I became addicted to technology, I got away from doing it, and energetically, I’ve felt sort of rudderless. It’s time start grounding myself again. And to that end…
4. Get outside. I like to hike, bike, kayak and ski, and though I always intend to do these things, I never seem to make them a priority. I’m not going to become an outdoorsy person overnight, but I am going to at least make the effort to get in some more physical activity.
5. Say “no” more. There are certain things people need from me (my daughter needs time with her dad, for instance) that are non-negotiable. But doing free video projects for people, acting as everyone’s personal therapist, punching up friends’ resumes when my marketing plate is already full – I need to stop doing that stuff. It won’t kill me to start saying “no.”
6. Follow my passions. It seems so basic, and yet it’s always the first thing to be sacrificed. It’s never easy to carve out time to write a play when you’re in the middle of six other things, but I’m getting too old to neglect what I love any longer.
What about you? If a miserable, perspective-altering virus took you out of commission for six weeks starting tomorrow, what resolutions would you make?

We’re pleased to report that 
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