yabba dabba to do list

So here's the thing with bad habits: they're BAD.

I know, right?

So when I made a list of 27 things I need to improve about myself (24 of them being bogus, of course, because how could there POSSIBLY be 27 things wrong with ME?), I didn't really take into account how I was going to prioritize these 27 things over the next 27 months. I mean it SOUNDS good to say I'm going to tackle one thing a month so the 50-something me will be a better version of the 40-something me, but it's another thing altogether (in unison: "It's another thing") to decide which vice gets the grip each month.

July was easy. I needed to NOT spend any extra money, what with all the upcoming travel and tuition, plus it afforded me the maternal opportunity to provide home-cooked meals for Kevie-poo before I sent him off to the collegiate world. And the benefits have been lasting. I have "brown bagged" my lunch WAY more than normal, which means fewer things are getting green and fuzzy in my fridge. It also means I'm eating more fruit. Good stuff. Especially mango.

August, while not easy, was essential. I wish I liked water. Those of you who have blog-journeyed with me over the past few years KNOW how much I dislike the liquid blah. It's ridiculous, I know, but I hate it. However, I forced myself to get at LEAST 64 ounces each and every day, and some days I got as many as 96. I have developed a GOOD habit of downing a full glass every morning before I leave the house and another every night before bed. (I know you're thinking it, so I'll just go ahead and say it: Yes, I often have to pee in the middle of the night.) Still, I'm getting 24-32 ounces a day more than I was before August, so success has been achieved.

Now here we are in September and I find myself staring at this "fix-it" list of 25 remaining undesirables. The logical step would be to prioritize them and begin with the most important. But which is most important: Wearing my seatbelt or not texting while driving? Exercising regularly or eating healthier? Recycling or getting more sleep?

Yes, I know, YOU, being the amazingly disciplined person that you are, would just fix all these problems NOW. But I know myself well enough to know I would become overwhelmed with too many changes to my schedule, too many new things to focus on, too many actions to be conscious of all at once, and I would give up and just eat a cookie and watch a movie. So I trudge on, fixing one thing at a time, until I achieve the perfect me. Which, really, isn't so far-fetched now, is it? I mean, I already have great hair, and I can kick most of your butts at Scrabble, so how much more could there be before I achieve perfection?

So . . . the bad-habit-of-choice-to-break for the month of September is: (drum roll, please) Take my vitamins. WHAT??? THAT WASN'T EVEN ON THE LIST OF "MOST ESSENTIALS"!? I know, but here's the logic: 1) I'm already in the kitchen every morning and every night drinking that extra glass of water, so taking my vitamins will reinforce the water practice 2) My supplements (assorted ones for various things) help me sleep better, give me more energy, keep me less emotional, etc. preparing me to work on the rest of my bad habits list and 3) well, there is no "3", but two points didn't seem sufficient to convince you.

I'm off to the store now to buy some gummy Flintstones.

By the way, I'm feeling good about October's goal: Stopping the car with my feet.