For the record... in These titles mean nothing.

It's a beautiful day but that's not what I'm writing about.

I'm writing about my life improvements/resolutions/renunciations, etc. etc.

On January 1, 2013, I began writing daily in 750words.com. I also resolved to write daily in Open Diary.

On February 1, 2013, I decided to carry a notebook with me so I could record whatever I wanted to at work.

On March 1, 2013, I decided to quit drinking soda/carbonated beverages, and also to stop buying stuff from vending machines.

On April 1, 2013, I decided to give up wheat, and its substitutes.

On May 1, 2013, I decided to give up sugar - and its relatives and substitutes.

I made more resolutions in subsequent months - walking 10000 steps a day, and giving up chewing gum come to mind. The fabulously interesting idea of carrying a plastic bag every day to either carry purchases or trash never really got off the ground. And there may have been other minor ones I've totally forgotten. I made headings once for my 750 and OD writing so separate thoughts in to categories. That was like carrying a plastic bag, not a BAD idea but not a workable one either.

#

Ok, now it's the third of August 2014. 19 months and two days after January 1, 2013 and where am I?

I'm still writing in 750 words. I lost my streak four days short of 500 days at the end of May when I totally forgot to write the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. Since then I've written except for July 3rd when we got home from a Loggers game too late to finish before midnight. I still get the benefits from writing there. I still feel like a do it every day even if it seems like I don't do it every day.

OD of course is a thing of the past. It ended - when? in February? - so I cannot write there. I write here but not daily. I write very rarely in EED .

I sometimes carry a notebook and sometimes write in it. Not every day for sure and not right now at all.

I keep planning a paper diary/scrapbook. I bought a special notebook and special gluestick and I have saved a bunch of funeral notices and graduation cards and newspaper clippings to glue in but I haven't done it yet. Maybe when I done here. Yeah, maybe.

Ok that's the 'intellectual' stuff. Now on to dietary and exercise stuff.

I gave up soda totally - and I had a fairly strong diet Pepsi habit - but.... sometime in June of this year, I drank three cans of diet root beer (they came free with a Casey's pizza) and a few weeks ago I drank one can of diet RC (free with the pizza too) so my sense of purity is gone. Coffee has become a part of my life and I enjoy it - its rituals, versatility, economy, etc.

I am pretty pure about vending machines. I bought a bottle of water from one early on when I didn't have anything to put water in... later discovering an empty pop bottle in the back seat of the car. I've bought two packages of peanuts from the vending machines at work recently because I hadn't brought anything to eat from home and felt the need to eat something.

OK, wheat/flour/gluten/etc. First a disclaimer. I do not have any food allergies that I am aware of. I do not believe wheat or its relatives are bad food or that they have been modified from past purity to present impurity. I have no great desire to debate those issues. I just decided to see what life would be like without eating them. I was never a big fan of bread of pasta so giving them up was not a big deal. I do eat oatmeal and way too many corn chips.

I do not eat processed foods or foods with very many ingredients. Again I'm not against them, I just decided to give them up for the sake of simplicity.

Before I tell you of my failures/cheats/decisions to/not to, let me go on to sugar.

I like sweet stuff. I eat a lot of fruit. I drink some/not a lot of orange juice. In the last few months I've found myself cheating with an occasional cookie. I ended up eating most of the Farmer's Market cookies and the pecan pie!!! that I bought for my kids to eat. I did not go back to the Farmer's Market. That is not a slur against Farmer's Markets. They are great places. Go. Buy. Get fresh veggies and fruit and if you wish indulge moderately in fresh home baked cookies and pies. But I can't do it. I lack self-control. (Truth to tell, I emphasize with the vendors trying to unload their stuff so I buy stuff I might not otherwise.)

The gum chewing is subject to backsliding too - just a bit. In the last month or so I find myself having maybe one piece of Trident bubble gum - bright pink pack - a week.

Walking? I have not had a pedometer I like this year. I'm not ready to invest in a Fitbit. I am basically a careless person and I do not want something else to be responsible for. I'm working 48 hours a week, standing on nice rubber mats. I walk for twenty minutes at noon and some nights I go for a slightly longer dog walk with Jim and Gracie. And that is my exercise.

Summary?

Summary.

1. I have been writing some, not a lot.

2. I have pretty much given up soda, wheat, sugar and gum with occasional backslides.

3. I realize I have been cheating more in the last few months. Actually after missing 750 words at the end of May, it's like the door is open a crack to weaken my resolve. I think I will be able to mainly stick to my changes. I see value in them even if I am not perfect. They are guidelines, maybe, rather than commandments carved in stone. Let's hope I can at least maintain their spirit, and use them to my benefit.

I think there is value in trying to make changes in your life. I think it's fun to just try and see what happens.

What happened?

Did I save money? I don't know.

Did I lose weight? Maybe a little but not much. I can generally get into my jeans which is what I want.

Do I feel better? I can't tell. I feel pretty good. I'm active, busy, etc.

Am I healthier? I had numbers run, cholesterol in all its variants, blood sugar, iron in blood, etc. this summer and two years ago. They show very little difference. I had good numbers before and I still have good numbers.

What has happened is it's easier for me to make decisions. I know what to buy at the grocery store. I know what to order at restaurants. I know what I'm going to eat, or not eat. I like that. I still have plenty of choices but I don't have limitless choices. Does that make any sense?

Here's a glass of Angry Orchard cider that Fayzee's has on tap.