Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Kerouac-olutions for 2023 and an update on 2022's

 


Before I address Kerouac-olutions for the New Year, here is an update on how I did with 2022's.


2022 New Year's Kerouac-olutions UPDATE

I only have one Kerouac-olution this year: to practice kindness. That's something I need to work on every day in every way. Click HERE for some Buddhist-inspired thinking on the subject.

Outcome: it's intangible but I think I practiced kindness more than usual this past year. I can't point to specifics, but one thing I changed was my attitude toward people of different political stripes from me. I've not engaged in arguing about such stuff on Facebook or much in real life. And my not watching so much news -- as we have been traveling away from home 87 days as of today -- has left me with less to stress about in terms of politics.


2023 New Year's Kerouac-olutions

I am maintaining my last year's resolution to practice kindness this year. We'll see how I do. I wish I could quantify what this resolution looks like in action, but I am bereft of ideas. Maybe you have some? One thing I want to do to buttress my kindness behavior is to practice breathing meditation more often.

There you have it -- an update on last year's and this year's Kerouac-olutions.

What are YOU resolving for the New Year?

 


5 comments:

Thomas Holloway said...

Alright, Rick. Here's mine.

Every night before bed, meditate. No set time. Only goal is to bring forth that state where a curtain rolls over your mind's eye and you're one with your breath‚ and hold it, hold it, hold it, for a few moments.

That's it.

Roxanne said...


Okay, then! Let's see how I did with last year's Kerouac-olutions:

1. Move out of my car, at least into a flophouse. I can also probably live at school for a while before someone notices me.

SUCCESS! I did not have to live at school, but it was a harrowing journey. I first lived with an alcoholic/hoarder/sex addict, which clearly didn't work out. I now live with a wonderful person in Beachwood, NJ, and we get along great.

2. Finish ANY writing project.

FAIL, mostly because of my constant moving.

3. Continue to be COVID-free.

SUCCESS!

4. Go to Jack's birthday celebration and to see the scroll in Lowell and try to sell more calendars while everyone has Jack Birthday Fever.

MASSIVE SUCCESS! The sales weren't overwhelming, but seeing the scroll and my friends was SO worth it

5. Attend LCK 2022, (ex)boyfriend in tow!
SUCCESS!

6. Actually go to the Beat Museum in San Fran to look at my calendars on display!
FAIL, due to lack of funds.

Encouraged by last year's success, here are this years:

1. As always, read more Kerouac-related things.

2. Save the money I'm making at my mall job to collect enough funds to go to San Fran.

3. Get over my breakup, or at least learn to deal with it without having a complete psychological breakdown. Basically, learn to be okay with being alone.

4. Step up therapy, be more responsible with meds.

5. No more horror movies before bed, man. Jesus.

6. Get my sleeping and eating patterns under control, or at least more regular.

7. Keep a close eye on my friends who may be suffering.

8. Attend LCK 2023!

Okay, these seem attainable goals--Rick, I'm here to support you in yours. Let's see how we do!



Rick Dale, author of The Beat Handbook said...

Roxanne, sounds like a worthy endeavor. Let me know if I can help.

~Rick

Anonymous said...

Hi guys. Look forward to hearing more about your Road trip :-)
LCK 2022 was great, as usual. Always nice chatting with you while having a pint at some Lowell Kerouac bar! Cappy's is gone and Nickys/Ricardos has changed.

Rich Chapman said...

Rich Chapman from Long Island. Didn't realize I had to sign in to leave my comment on 1/22 :-)