The Maneaters On The Coast of Barbary

The grass ain't greener,

The wine ain't sweeter

On either side of the Hill

-Robert Hunter, Ramble On Rose

The year draws to an end- about this time six years ago, planet 136199 Eris was discovered in the farther reaches of the solar system, a far distance beyond Pluto. Apparently kind of a small planet, it has one moon and tags along on the edge of the gravitational fields of the sun. Pretty cool. But also completely irrelevant, I just happened to come across that fact and decided to share it.

At any rate, as you probably know, it's the end of another year. Time for us to remember the promise of a new spring, new growth in the midst of cold and dead earth that is winter. That might sound a little gloomy, but not at all- winter is what it is, and this, like all things, changes. Perhaps this is why people choose the new year to make resolutions about how they wish to change in the upcoming year. Seems to me that the calendar year is kind of an arbitration- wouldn't it make more sense to view the year as kind of organic, that is, beginning in the spring, through the summer, aging in the fall and finally dying during winter? Then, when spring comes again, it would be a new year, as the weather warms and plants and trees begin to grow again. True, the year is based on the time it takes the earth to revolve once around the sun, but since it's moving in more or less a circle, we could really pick any point along that curvature as a starting point.

But at any rate, the new year brings hope to many people- they say what you're doing on New Year's Eve is what you'll likely be doing for the rest of the year- well, seeing as I have two years left on my enlistment contract, in some sense that's true. Maybe this is another reason why people make resolutions for the new year. Or maybe it makes them feel better to be taking some positive actions, even if some of those resolutions don't quite make it off the ground. But then again, it's easy to be really fired up to do something at the beginning of the year, then around March that enthusiasm tends to fade. Sometimes you need to create your own enthusiasm- fake it until you make it, as a friend of mine likes to say.

For my own part, I notice having a schedule and setting aside time makes the difference between things that get done and things that don't get done. It's easy, without a sense of "I need to be at this place at this time" to put it off and delay, then finally to not get it done at all. However, when I overcome that inertia and actually sit down to do it, things generally go much better. So with this knowledge, I decided to spend a good deal more time, well, organizing time. If I know I need to be doing something or be somewhere at a certain point in time, I can generally get there. So in addition to doing the work-related things that I really don't have a lot of choice on, I can better organize my time to fit in things a little more important than the next formation.

So, here edited, updated and revised, are some of the things I plan to do in this upcoming year- might as well enjoy all the slacking off and wasting time I can today, as tomorrow it'll be time to get down:

- Get the divorce done- looks like the ex isn't doing anything on this front, which is quite all right with me. I'd like to be on the offensive on this one, force things to play out on my terms. I'll be honest, a part of me is going to enjoy watching her squirm. Not that I intend anything too mean or vindictive, but I have a pretty good grasp of her psyche (spent a good many years getting beaten down with it), and know that though everything I do will be in the interests of the kids, it'll be fun to know she's out there freaking out about it. Well, they say a man who seeks revenge should dig two graves- but will that be enough to hold anyone who gets in my way?

-This one is actually a pretty easy one- keep in good shape, and eat good food. It's actually much more cost-effective, I find, to cook my own food than to eat out. Besides, I'm not 19 any more (thank Buddha for small favors...) and need to take good care of myself, not that I'm on the verge of collapse, but still- insurance for the future. Besides, apparently the female population of Lawton and the Fort Sill gym is somewhat appreciative of the 'gun show', at least that's what I'm told. For my own part, I'm usually doing one of two things- daydreaming or paying attention to something else that requires more attention. No harm no foul, ladies.

-As previously mentioned, spend time in meditation and doing yoga, which on one level are pretty much the same basic concept. Yoga deals with focusing the clear mind on the body, whereas meditation is a somewhat general term for focusing your clear mind on something, though this can and does vary somewhat. At any rate, being a Kadampa Buddhist, I'm going to defer to the school on this one, as there are many practices and meditations to do. Or is it New Kadampa Tradition, now? Same thing, I guess, just a cooler-sounding name. This goes back to setting up designated time- perhaps that comes with being in the military, that you need schedules and designated times to do stuff. Well, whatever works. It seems easy to get caught up doing other things when you're supposed to take time to relax and tend to yourself and your mental state, your physical state, or both.

-Get cracking on learning new languages- us military folks get free access (not to download, it's an on-line format) to the Rosetta Stone programs, of which there are a surprising number. I started in on French, as I have a working knowledge of the language, and besides, it counts towards promotion. Besides, I have a sergeant in my unit from Haiti, whose first language is Hatian French, so we can usually manage not to talk past each other. Upon clearing the rust out of my French vocabulary, I have a couple others in mind- first Spanish, which should be a snap, as French and Spanish are both derivatives of Latin, and I find I can usually make out Spanish, to the occasional surprised looks of Spanish-speaking soldiers when I can't help but overhear some of the more colorful expressions and burst out laughing. Next up will be German, which no doubt will be a bit of a challenge. I'd like (maybe) to get stationed there, and a working knowledge of German would help. After that, I'd like to learn Arabic, for largely the same reasons. Besides which, spoken Arabic is actually a very beautiful language.

-Also as previously mentioned, find a way to knock a minute and a half off my 2-mile run time. I know I'll never be exactly a fast runner, but that's okay, as it's just the way I'm put together. But at any rate, I figure it would be good to get a little better time on the run, though I get a lot of slack on the Army standards for my age group.

-This last one is a little more abstract, but I'm hoping through all the others it'll kind of flow naturally; to be more up-front with myself and others, to say what's on my mind more often and never be afraid to say what needs to be said. In other words, be more self-confident and self-assured. This, at least as far as I can see, is a difficult one to actually measure. But that's okay, the results should be pretty easily visible.

Well, to all of you out there, may all the promises of this new year be fulfilled, and may this year move us forwards rather than back! And stay safe tonight, both cops and drunk drivers are likely to be out.