The year is already 5% done, with January more than half over. Here in the Polar Vortex, we couldn’t be happier; only four more months till the tulips poke up. Oh well, every day holds a little mystery and magic, right? If we can’t get down and dirty in the garden, we can always try to find fish under the ice. Here are some more ways to keep it real this year…
5 More Ways to Keep it Real
- Don’t order it, cook it. Did you know Americans now spend more money on prepared foods than home cookin’? Yep. We’ve reached the tipping point—and that includes on our bathroom scale. Let’s get out of line and back into the kitchen.
- Go whole, not hacked. Those food factories love to slice, dice, mince, and mash the ingredients (and flavors and colors and preservatives) til you’re not really sure what you’re tasting—and the label reads like a chemistry experiment. Want good taste? Grill salmon. Steam some rice. Chop a fresh salad. Your body will thank you.
- Journal more, post less. Caution: Journaling may lead to navel-gazing. But posting may lead to narcissism. Private pondering made Shakespeare, Kierkegaard, and Woody Allen great. SM fixations usually lead to Silly Mundaneness.
- Don’t just “like,” appreciate. Our ability to express approval has been reduced to little clicks of “likes,” a thumbs-up icon, or (if you’re really lucky) a smiley face. Want to make someone’s day? Show and tell them how much you appreciate their assistance, kindness, and unconditional “like.”
- Slow down, stay longer. Manpower Group recently reported that 69% of North Americans didn’t use all their vacation time last year—for the third year in a row. What’s more real: Your job or your free time? Hey! Go away! And when you get there, hunker down and sit a spell!
Happy New Year. Let’s hope it’s a good one by making it real.
