QotD: New Year's Resolutions
So? How are those resolutions going so far?
Thirteen days into the new year is not a lot of time to work on the resolutions. However, I have made progress.
- I will read 50 books this year. While I managed to read 60 in 2008, I do not want to be unrealistic and commit to something like 70 books. So instead, I will increase 2008’s total by ten. I have read four books so far in 2009, so I am on a pace to achieve this goal.
- I will observe the fasting and dietary practices of various holidays in several of the world’s religions. Here are the fasts I will participate in during 2009: Lent in Christianity, Ramadan in Islam, Passover in Judaism, Krishna Janmaashtami in Hinduism, and Vesak in Buddhism. I want to spiritually commune with believers in these religions during these holy holidays and I figure a good way to do this is to experience the cleansing benefits of a fast. It is also a good way to learn more about these holidays. Ash Wednesday is February 25, so I have not yet been tested by this resolution.
- I will implement some sort of plan concerning my educational goals. Currently, I am on a leave of absence and will need to make some sort of decision on how to proceed from here. I see three paths I could possibly take: do nothing and leave seminary, stay at seminary and change my degree, or go in a different direction (psychology or philosophy) at a different school. I think about my education all the time and once I made this resolution, I went on a weeklong discernment retreat to figure this out. As of this writing, I plan to not return to seminary once my leave is done. Instead, I am going to take a few years off before returning to school to earn a PhD in Moral Philosophy. I anticipate starting this program in 2012, unless I change my mind sometime in the next few months.
- I will finally join my local Unitarian Universalist
congregation. This will be the culmination of a long process that has led to me accepting my spiritual identity as a person formed by a combination of several faith traditions. Unitarian Universalist beliefs allow me to be who I am without being forced into a spiritual box. In the past, committing to weekly attendance at church has been difficult because I am going alone. That is why I am not committing to any attendance goals. I would like to become involved enough in the congregation to both keep me going and make a friend or two. Nothing has happened on this resolution.
