I know a lot of people who make New Years Resolutions. I know several more who don’t because they never keep them. I think we all like the idea of a fresh start, a blank slate, and that’s why we take New Years Day as an opportunity to make changes in our lives that we truly want to make.
Now, there are some resolutions I know I can’t keep. Like giving up chocolate? Forget it. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t eat fast food or drink soda or even coffee. I NEED chocolate. It’s my one source of caffeine. It is my vice. The only way you could get me to give up chocolate is if a doctor looked me in the eye and told me that if I kept eating chocolate, it would eventually kill me. And even then, I’d probably still sneak pieces here and there.
So instead of making resolutions that I may or may not be able to actually keep, I set goals for myself. My goal in 2013 was to publish Cemetery Tours. My goal for 2014 was to take an amazing trip over the summer. I actually still haven’t achieved my goal for 2012, which was go see a movie at the drive-in. Maybe 2015 will be the year for that.
This year, I’m setting myself a few new goals. The first is to publish not one, but two new books: Boy Band and the third Cemetery Tours. The second is to at least try to get in a little better shape. I’m not in bad shape, but there’s always room for improvement. And since I’m almost 27, you know, age might start catching up with me. Finally, I’d really like to get more into urban exploration. I met a woman back in October who specialized in exploring and writing about ghost towns. She was SO cool! Her name is Robin Cole Jett and you can find her on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-River-Historian/195104580538409?pnref=lhc
As for adventures, I already have a few lined up for 2015. For example, in April, I’ll be participating in the North Texas Book Festival! I’m looking into a few more events as well, but nothing is solidified. Then in July, my sister and I are taking a trip to San Diego. We’ll hopefully be visiting the zoo, the beach, the haunted Del Coronado Hotel, going on a whale watch… And we’ll definitely be seeing One Direction. Can’t lie. I’m really excited.
Of course, throughout the year, I will keep reading and I will definitely keep writing. Along with the two books I plan to publish, I have at least twenty more in my head desperate to get out. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Being a writer is never dull. There is literally always something going on, even if it’s just inside your mind. But as Dumbledore says, “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”
Happy 2015, everyone! I hope it’s your best year yet!
A Platform of Sorts 