2019 – so now what?

It’s officially over. Today the Christmas tree came down and all the decorations were packed away up in the attic for another year. And I’m totally discombobulated. Remembering what day of the week it is is hard enough when retired. Throw in Christmas, New Years, family visits, community celebrations, and neighbourly get-togethers and I’m lucky if I know what planet I’m on, let alone what day it is. Fortunately the spousal unit is much more capable of keeping track of my social calendar and so I just do what I’m told. (Seriously, I do! Usually. Some times.)

But, as they say, all good things must end and so, while my liver begins its recovery process, I can start planning 2019.

Planning, for me, consists of filling a bucket with all the things I planned to do last year (See how that works?), things I hope to do this upcoming year, and all the good works I plan to do when I win the big lottery. The due date for most items in the bucket is “some day”, or perhaps, “whenever”. I find this approach gives me the most flexibility and provides a suitable response to the irritating questions such as, “Why haven’t you done ‘X’ yet?”. It also allows for a sort of soft commitment that avoids crossing the line into New Year’s resolution territory.

There’ll be some travel in the bucket. A 4-day guy’s getaway to Las Vegas in February is already in the books. A European trip is on the drawing board and in the early stages of discussion. And, perhaps, a Canadian road trip or two.

On the motorcycling front there’s nothing I want/need to do on the Harley, but I hope to get a second Kawasaki roadworthy. Who knows, there may be another old bike (or two) added to the stable if I stumble across any too-good-to-ignore deals. And, of course, the perennial favourite – ride more!

It’s also time to resurrect some old hobbies that have been surpassed by newer interests. I have a pile of electronics components and project ideas to work on. I also have a sizeable collection of wood-turning blanks that need to be converted into shavings and sawdust. And, finally, it’s time to get back into making cigar box guitars, canjos, and diddley-bows. All great initiatives and fantastic fun but the overarching issue is, what do I give up so I have time for all this? Perhaps spend less time following politics? We’ll see.

I know myself well enough to know that some of these items will still be undone by year’s end and added to the 2020 bucket, and other new ideas will pop up (“Look, a squirrel!”) to knock everything off plan, but that’s where the fun and flexibility comes in – total predictability is, after all, totally boring. Whatever happens it will be a ride.

So to all my readers, may 2019 be a year of adventure, discovery, joy, and, most of all, flexible plans.