Happy Holidays!

I know this has been argued ad nauseam, but for some reason there are things that must be said and said and said again.

NO ONE IS FORBIDDING THE WISHING OF A MERRY CHRISTMAS

CHRISTMAS IS NOT DIMINISHED BY WISHING SOMEONE YOU DON'T KNOW HAPPY HOLIDAYS

CHRISTMAS IS INCLUDED IN THE HOLIDAY PART OF HAPPY HOLIDAYS

If you are a fundamentalist you should know that Jesus was most likely NOT born on 25 December, but when the shepherds were guarding their sheep most likely during lambing in the Spring. Christmas on 25 December is just the day early Christians chose to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

I LIKE Happy Holidays. It includes people who celebrate different holidays and it includes New Years. I don't mind saying Merry Christmas to those I know celebrate Christmas, but if I don't know someone I will wish them Happy Holidays.

If you insist on wishing people Merry Christmas, and only Merry Christmas without acknowledging other people may be celebrating for an entirely different and valid reason; if you don't recognize Happy Holidays as a perfectly acceptable greeting; and if you get angry when people suggest to other people to use Happy Holidays as a more inclusive way to spread cheer and warmth to their fellow human beings; then you are frankly being Un-Christian.

I wish joy, happiness and good hope to you, your family, all you know, and all you love a Happy Bodhi Day, Happy Kathika Deepam, Happy Pancha Ganapati, Happy Vaikuntha Ekadashi, Happy HumanLight, Happy Salgirah Khushiali, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Yule, Happy Koliada, Happy Wassailing, Happy Yalda, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Ōmisoka, Happy Hogmanay, Chalica, and a very Happy New Year!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE

The Best (or Worst) Laid Plans...

Well, as Jack Benny used to say. We got thrown for a loop last week in my family. My Mom fell and broke her hip. She had it replaced and is in rehab currently. My brothers, nieces, nephews (too bad English doesn't have a collective gender neutral for that level of family), uncle, and dear family friend are taking turns visiting and helping her. 

This is partially why I did not post in this blog yesterday (though I've established and intend to continue a weekly post on Wednesday). I don't think anyone is subscribed, and I'd be surprised if anyone has even noticed the pattern, but it is not a good thing to do in the beginning of what I intend and hope is a long and fruitful tradition, and it was a goal of mine in November to write daily and I missed a day this week.

If I had planned better I would have had a post "in the can" and been prepared for not being able to write on Wednesday.

Something else that happened due to my own poor planning was that I forgot to mention that I participated in Movember again this year in November. That is, I grew a mustache (or let my mustache grow) in November to raise awareness of Men's Health Issues, specifically prostate cancer and dementia.

My Father died of pancreatic cancer, but before that, he had prostate cancer (for which he was successfully treated). My Father-In-Law had dementia and broke HIS hip, which ultimately impacted his departure from our company. I find it interesting that the identical purple ribbon is used for both of these conditions.

My Mom also has dementia, so this story turns round and round.

I planned to raise awareness of men's health issues and failed to use the platform already at my disposal in this blog. 

No plan survives first contact with the enemy even if that enemy is your own poor planning. I'm going to have to up my game.

What are your plans for the rest of the year? How are you going to adjust them once they are put into action?

December Goals and November Review

Goal, er, well a Try

I'm going to first go over the final review of my November goals.

1. Produce more than consume
1. Make 12 attempts to get a short story (there are several possible) and/or “Tabernacle” published by the end of the month
2. Write or Edit every day (defined as Writing = at least 1 word, Editing = at least 1 correction)
3. Make creating apps outweigh consumption apps on my phone (more time)
4. NO YouTube while working
2. Focus on Health
1. Exercise daily (defined as anything >10 pushups)
2. Yoga daily
3. Get to 1 pullup

1. Production Results
1. D- I didn't make any publishing attempts except this blog
2. A I did that 28/30 days
3. B With the limits I made I'll give myself a B for the reduction
4. A maybe about 90-95%
2. Health
1. A about 90-95%
2. B I didn't do as much yoga, but I did start physical training for my shoulder and that was a lot of stretching so I counted that
3. F I didn't really even work on this

For December I want to build on what I have already, but not reinforce failure. Additionally, a lot of these are habit builders. If I have successfully built a habit I don't need to use is as a goal for future months.

December Goals (in priority order):

1. Health
1. Physical Therapy daily (stretch goal: do it twice) 
2. Set up garage exercise stuff (punching bag, drag tires, bag toss, tires for using sledgehammer on)
2. Volunteer
1. Support Scouting America
1. Attend the Northeast Illinois Council (NEIC) Training committee meeting and volunteer for something
2. Attend the Aptakisic District Committee meeting and volunteer for something
3. Contact NEIC Council Ops Officer to see what help they need
2. Attend the Wauconda CERT meeting and volunteer for an event
3. Switch to Spanish from Dutch on Duolingo and get 15 hours (30 min a day for 30 days)
3. Produce - Make one publishing submission

Now that I've made them public you will have to hold me to them. I can't use the endorphins of posting them to make me feel like I've already accomplished something.

If there is something you would like to see me do more of, please let me know.