10 Things You Will Not Tolerate in 2023

What happened to me, us? We were the generation that read “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People“ in the 90’s and now we’re all happy to live in the dreaded Quadrant 4… passively wasting ourselves on Redecor, Wordscape, Twitter, Reddit. At least i have been.

It was easy to stay home during lockdowns. We could order in. That meant eating out more. Weight gain. Less walking. Our circles of influence shrank- unless you count Facebook posts as influence.

At my age (+55), losing weight is more challenging- mom was right. The motivation comes from health and well-being and less from aesthetics. Im going to commit to getting on the treadmill at least 15 minutes a day starting today. and work up to 45 minutes a day. Weight training at a small gym. Stretching via Pilates & Yoga. Shutting down the addiction to social media & gaming.

My husband and I cook. He does more cooking than me because he’s faster. I‘m a recipe follower. Eating home cooked food is an easier way to keep excess weight off, lower your Cholesterol, and bring joy and togetherness to the home. Plus, it sets a great example for your kids - whether they‘re 8 or 28 years old.

Someone said walking is the best medicine. Our cities have beautiful parks and museums and historical districts to enjoy. Fresh air, seeing God’s creation, meeting new people - if only to smile and say hello.

What makes you happy? What gets you out of the bed in the morning? What’s been gnawing at you? Write it down and make a plan. Sign the lease for that retail space, take that course in NYC, go to that seminar, start painting or playing the piano again, take a weekend or a two-week getaway and just be quiet. Listen to that Still Small Voice. What is He saying to you?

Forget about ”EA” (Effective Altruism) and just be simple. Who in your sphere needs help? Clean out your mom’s garage for her? Help your nephew make his car payment while he’s temporarily unemployed. Volunteer at the local Covenant House mission. Donate money to the nearest soup kitchen.

I was always small and under weight years ago and not encouraged to give blood. I‘m type O, which is a universal donor type. After seeing my husband‘s father needing regular blood transfusions , I decided how important it is for us to give blood when we can. So I’ve made an appointment to do so.

If I’m not part of the solution, … well you know the adage. But how? How can we tune out or - better yet - change the tone? I don’t know. Maybe by being silent? Or by writing a blog from a spirit of kindness rather than brash criticism. Take out an op-ed, or buy a page in the NYT calling for PEACE in dialogue. That reminds me of a Bible study I attended years ago in 2001 called “Conversational Peace” by the book of the same name. It was good. Again, “contend with those who contend with you.” I’m still learning this lesson. You have to simply walk away from some people. See Gary Thomas’s book “When to Walk Away.“