Bring on 2008

I've been in my annual 'lets prep for the new year' mode.  Instead of starting my new years resolutions on the cold turkey tip I'm trying to start early and ease into my new habits.  Some of the things on my early new years resolution list is eating clean foods.  Clean meaning not as many processed foods (ie; whole grain or whole wheat bread vs white bread. Lean chicken vs hamburger meat.)  I'm also going to cut way down on the french fry intake.  They're my weakness, I swear.  I've never had a sweet tooth, but tempt me with a side a fries and I'm a big sucker. 

Another one of my goals is to try to become more financially and spiritually fit.  I know that grouping these two subjects in itself is un-spiritual, but hey finances are part of achieving peace of mind.  As far as my personal finances are concerned I've made some big decisions in my career and I hope those decisions start to pay off by Spring.  I've started to plan out what I need to do with my money and how I can start preparing for spending my money on the important things.  If this means less nights out, less restaurants, less weekend trips, then so be it.  Saving is simple math and I've never been good at math.  Luckily I've always been good at planning and organizing.

Talking or listening to people talk about spirituality has always seemed dubious to me.  I will say though, that I achieve a greater peace of mind when I'm healthy, financially fit, balancing my time spent with family, friends and work.  I want a greater sense of tying my faith to the outcomes of those facets of my life.  How will I achieve that? No idea.  Sometimes I wish I subscribed to Jesus Christ so that I could  have it all laid out for me by a preacher or the bible.  Unfortunately I didn't really grow up in the church like that.  This is not to say that I don't enjoy attending a sermon or mass or being in a church.  I do that every now and then, and I enjoy it.  I just pray in my own way and look at the stained glass montages of Jesus and those kinds of things as "historical".  Where was I?  Ah yes, but I do feel a spiritual connection to a greater force or something (God?) when I do simple things like stand upon a mountain top.  When I sit on a surfboard and watch the sunset.  When I abide by the subtle laws of good karma and have a great month.  Or when I feel extreme love or such a great bond with my family that the sum of all of us together creates something so much stronger that its surpassed into another stronger force.  Is that part of spirituality?  I dunno.  But its powerful and it gives me faith and it makes me thankful and it lets me know that there is a plan for me and that I am just one small bit of a very grand, larger scale something.  I want to learn to have more of those moments and use them in all realms of my life.  I guess thats why I said getting 'spirituality fit', but who knows what its really called, maybe its just being more focused or being a better person, but either way I want to focus on doing that. 

So on that note, here's an early Cheers to '08.  And hey, if all of my plans fail, at least the Bush regime is over.  Hallelujah!