Day: December 26, 2025
Curious David’s Resolutions for Next Year
Originally written Dec 29, 2009! Revised in 2025.
‘Tis the season for making resolutions for the New Year. Here are five of mine —which I plan to monitor daily.
- Mind my waste. I’ve become increasingly sensitive to my having “too much stuff” — affluenza? and too little time to enjoy it. It now makes sense to me to enjoy what I have, explore its potential, and use it more efficiently, more generously, and more wisely. Two very specific projects I have in mind for the near future are 1) spending time mastering the many features of WordPress, which I have yet to explore, and 2) fully mastering the features of my MAC.
- Harm no good. Pauline Chen’s marvelous and marvelously written book Final Exam: A Surgeon’s Reflections on Mortality has caused me to reflect deeply about what I want to accomplish (and to avoid) in my remaining years.
- Do a right thing. I am not omniscient; therefore, I have no way of knowing if I am doing THE right thing. But it is obvious to me that there continues to be room in Professor David’s Neighborhood for doing something just because it is A right thing to do-–for being good for goodness sake.
- Do a Write Thing. I’ve discovered that I truly enjoy the act of writing. Encouraged by the feedback I’ve received from readers of my blogs, I hope to make the act of writing a daily habit. There’s this short story I’ve been threatening to write for years. And that history of that small college.. and…
- Do a Thing Right—a perfectionist I am not, though I do enjoy striving for consistent excellence in many of my endeavors. However, I need to make time to return to some of my failures and try again.