First the 2023 Review
Run 500 miles: Fell short of the goal. Only ran 400 miles.
Become fluent enough in Italian to read a couple chapters of an Italo Calvino novel: Fell short of this one, too. Did become marginally more fluent in Italian. Rather than a pair of Calvino chapters, I translated the first two chapters of Jhumpa Lahiri’s Dove mi trovo. Much shorter chapters.
Write 1,000 words a week: Again, far short. Even if you include shopping lists.
Read Saint Augustine of Hippo: Read two of the three books I intended to read, On Free Choice of Will and Confessions. Did not start City of God. No apologies, here, though. Pored over Confessions. Was worth the slow, thorough read.
Sail: Made it out on the water so seldom it was disappointing. Made it back to shore every time, though.
Visit Hawaii: Budget and schedule did not allow me this one. Did visit Milan, Italy and the French Riviera for ten days with Marie, though. That trip was wonderful.
Feed the hungry: Opened up the wallet for this one, which was a half-measure, as far as I am concerned. Volunteering my time in addition to my money would have been much better.
Reduce: Reduced in every way imaginable, it seemed. Still, the mountain of clutter continues to cast its shadow on my life.
Well, then, I fell short of every goal. Better than achieving every goal, I suppose. I mean, if I had achieved every goal then I did not aim high enough, right?
On to the 2024 Preview
OK. Going to recycle a 21/22/23 goal. Run 500 miles. Ten miles a week.
Travel appears on my list again this year. Instead of Hawaii, though, it will be New Zealand. Mary and Marie went there at the beginning of 2020, just before the real start of the pandemic. They have been raving about it ever since. I have already set aside money for the trip, inherited from Marianne. She would approve.
Read Augustine’s City of God, at least some of it. It is long and dense and requires quite a bit of thought and reflection. So, my idea is to read as much of it at the pace I can to absorb as much of it as reasonable this year. It is composed of twenty-two books. Maybe I will read one a month, roughly. Perhaps more, perhaps less. Also plan to read the Letters of Saint Paul, all of them.
Write a chapter (or short story) a week.
Learn to sail well enough to attain at least one certification.
Finish translating Dove mi trovo. And then what? Some chapters of Calvino?
Do something unplanned, unexpected, something that I will treasure for the rest of my days.
Live the skux life.