PERSONAL FITNESS
1. Don’t die.
Nothing even close to dying happened in March. My physical was rescheduled for October, however, so I hope I don’t die before then.
As always, I plan on living forever or die trying.
2. Lose 20 pounds.
Done. For now. I won’t declare victory until I get through the year with sustained weight loss.
But I lost another 4 pounds in March, bringing my total weight loss to 20 pounds.
This has been accomplished by increasing the intensity of my daily workouts and improving the quality of my snacks.
More bananas and grapes. Fewer Pop-Tarts.
Now that I’ve hit my goal, my new goal is to lose another 10 pounds by the end of the year.
3. Do at least 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and three one-minute planks five days a week.
Didn’t miss a day in March.
4. Cycle for at least five days every week.
Didn’t miss a day in March, and I did two or more rides on seven days in March.
I rode another Peleton for two days in March while staying at Canyon Ranch. Again, I find this machine epically disappointing. If you’re looking for a stationary bike, be sure to look at NordicTrack and other options.
5. Improve my golfing handicap by two strokes.
Thanks to a golfing weekend in Florida back in January, I lowered my handicap from 17.6 to 15.9.
I haven’t golfed since then because of the weather, but lessons continue in earnest.
WRITING CAREER
6. Complete my eighth novel.
The book is about half complete, but I haven’t made any progress in 2023.
7. Write my next Storyworthy book.
Contract signed! Due on September 1. Work has commenced!
8. Write/complete at least three new picture books, including one with a female, non-white protagonist.
I’m writing a picture book alongside my students. I’m also revising a book about beavers.
All of this is to say, “Not a lot of progress.”
9. Write a new solo show.
A fantastic theater – TheaterWorks in Hartford, CT – has extended an invitation for me to perform. I received the news yesterday and am over the moon about it.
July 23 and 24. Tickets on sale soon. All proceeds will go directly to the theater in support of the arts.
I’ll also be recording my performance to share with possible producers and directors, so it needs to be outstanding. I’ve been working on the show since January, but now things get very serious. My director and I will be working relentlessly to make this show outstanding, and I will be working hard to fill every seat for every show.
Mark your calendars.
10. Perform a new solo show.
See above. Target dates for completion are July 23 and 24.
11. Write a musical.
My friend Kaia and I are writing a musical that we will also perform, even though I cannot sing. She writes the music and lyrics. She and I write the story.
I need to write some of the story in order for Kaia to begin writing music. I haven’t done that yet.
12. Submit at least five Op-Ed pieces to The New York Times for consideration.
No progress.
13. Write at least four letters to my father.
I wrote a birthday note to my father in March.
One letter sent in 2023.
14. Write 100 letters in 2022.
Another 5 letters were sent in March, bringing the total number to 54.
Halfway to the goal!
Recipients included students, Clara, friends, and a state senator in Oklahoma.
15. Convert 365 Days of Elysha into a book.
No progress. There is probably a company that does this sort of thing, so I am on the hunt.
16. Read at least 12 books.
In March, I read:
“Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah
I’m in the middle of reading the following books:
“Out of the Corner” by Jennifer Grey
“Tough Sh*t” by Kevin Smith
“From Saturday Night to Sunday Night” by Dick Ebersol
“Think Like a Monk” by Jay Shetty
“The Groucho Letters”
Four books read so far in 2023.
“Sapiens” by Yuval Harari
“Life’s a Gamble” by Mike Sexton
“The Sea We Swim In” by Frank Rose
“Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah
17. Read TIME’s 100 Best Children’s Books of All Time.
I read 10 of the 100 books in March. I’ve read many other books in the past, but I am only counting those books that I have re-read.
18. Write to at least six authors about a book I love.
No progress.
STORYTELLING/SPEAKING CAREER
19. Complete the re-recording of Storyworthy For Business.
“Storyworthy” for Business is complete and available for purchase. Find it and much more at storyworthymd.com.
I want to produce a much-improved version of the course ASAP. Module 1 is now re-recorded. The recording for module 2 (and many other things) is scheduled for April. Kaia and I will be spending a lot of time in the studio.
20. Record the next Storyworthy course.
Done.
Three brand new courses have been recorded and will be available on the Storyworthy platform later this month.
Thrilled.
21. Produce a total of six Speak Up storytelling events in 2023
I’ve scheduled four shows in 2023, including some remarkable venues.
Our first two shows are on April 22 at the Connecticut Historical Society and April 29 at Wolcott School.
We also are producing a show in partnership with Voices of Hope on May 4.
Mark your calendars! Tickets on sale soon!
22. Pitch myself to at least three upcoming TEDx events with the hopes of being accepted by one.
Done!
I spoke at a TEDx event at the University of Connecticut in January. It went well despite a malfunctioning clicker that sometimes advanced two slides instead of one.
You can’t imagine how annoyed this made me.
Also, due to the delay in posting a TEDx Talk from more than a year ago, my talk will not be loaded onto the TED platform. This is both a blessing and a curse:
A blessing because I can now repeat the talk with a functioning clicker, thus producing a better version of the talk, but also a curse because I prepared and delivered a talk for an audience of about 100 people instead of the tens of thousands I had hoped to see it online.
I was also invited to speak at a TEDx event in Natick, MA on April 13.
I pitched myself to TEDx events in Harlem, Roxbury, and on the campus of Yale University.
Harlem was only looking for residents of the borough, so they passed. I await a response from the other two.
23. Attend at least eight Moth events with the intention of telling a story.
I attended three Moth StorySLAMs in March – two in Boston and one in NYC. I told stories at both StorySLAMs in Boston, but my name remained stubbornly on the bag in NYC.
Four shows altogether in 2023.
24. Win at least one Moth StorySLAM.
Done. I won the Moth StorySLAM in Boston on March 29.
25. Win a Moth GrandSLAM.
I’m invited to compete in the upcoming Moth GrandSLAM in Boston in May.
I was also invited to compete in the Seattle GrandSLAM last month, but traveling cross country was not possible at this time.
I await invitations from producers in New York and Washington DC (where I won StorySLAMs in the past year) when my turn comes up.
26. Produce at least 24 episodes of our podcast Speak Up Storytelling.
No progress, but Elysha and I have targeted April vacation for our first recording.
27. Perform stand-up at least six times in 2022.
I have a stand-up partner who will be going to open mics with me. We had a date and location planned for April, but we inadvertently scheduled it on the second night of Passover.
My friend, for the record, is Jewish, but I had to inform her of the scheduling faux pas.
We have rescheduled for June, which is sadly the next available evening when we both can attend.
28. Pitch three stories to This American Life.
No progress.
29. Pitch myself to Marc Maron’s WTF podcast at least three times.
No progress.
30. Send a newsletter to readers at least 50 times.
Sox newsletters were sent in March. Two were storytelling lessons. Two were Speak Up show and workshop updates. Two were Storyworthy announcements.
A total of 16 newsletters sent thus far in 2023.
HOME
31. Clear the basement.
I had hoped to order a dumpster for a day of April vacation, but that vacation is now booked with business travel and fun, so it will need to wait until the summer.
Otherwise, incremental progress was made in March.
32. Clean and clear the garage.
The dumpster will also be key to completing this task, too. More significant progress was made in March.
33. Furnish and decorate the studio.
Done! The last bookshelf was purchased and built. Lighting was added. The water damage has been repaired. The studio is officially complete.
34. Eliminate clothing not being worn and closet bins.
I removed the other two bins of clothing and moved them downstairs in hopes of finding an opportunity to go through the clothing with Elysha.
In March, I eliminated all old and unwanted hats. More than you might imagine.
Pants and shirts are next on the list.
FAMILY/FRIENDS
35. Text or call my brother or sister once per month.
Done. I exchanged texts with my sister several times.
36. Take at least one photo of my children every day.
Done. Needed an assist from friends and Elysha when we were away.
37. Take at least one photo with Elysha and me each week.
Just one photo of Elysha and me together in March, though Elysha may have more.
38. Plan a reunion of the Heavy Metal Playhouse.
No progress.
39. I will not comment – positively or negatively – about the physical appearance of any person save my wife and children in order to reduce the focus on physical appearance in our culture overall.
Done. Years of purposefully avoiding this have made intentionally avoiding this easy and automatic. I can’t recommend it enough.
40. Surprise Elysha at least six times in 2023.
Done!
I surprised Elysha three times in March:
I created a goodie bag of treats from Trader Joe’s and placed it on the seat of her car on what I knew would be an especially tough day at work.
I purchased a coat from the Canyon Ranch gift shop that she wanted by thought was too expensive. While Elysha was examining the coat, I enlisted one of the store’s patrons to inquire about whether she didn’t really like the coat or thought it was too expensive. The patron returned to tell me that she liked the coat but thought it was too pricy. After Elysha left for her facial, I bought the coat and brought it to the room, where she discovered it later that day.
She’s been wearing it almost daily ever since.
I also arranged for our friend, Kathy, who now lives in Washington DC but was in Hartford on business, to surprise Elysha with a visit on Thursday night. I bought cupcakes and key lime cheesecake for the visit. When Elysha arrived home after a night of meeting incoming kindergarten parents at her school, she found Kathy sitting on our couch.
Surrpirses this year have included:
- Half a dozen birthday cards, all handmade, scattered throughout her life on her birthday
- Tickets to the upcoming Lizzo concert
- A Pusheen Mystery box
- Goodie bag of Trader Joe’s delights
- Coat from Canyon Ranch
- Visit from Kathy
Six surprises so far in 2023.
41. Play poker at least six times in 2023.
No progress. So annoyed.
42. Spend at least six days with my best friend of more than 30 years.
No progress, but we spoke and agreed to meet as soon as the weather turns warmer.
MUSIC
43. Memorize the lyrics to at least five favorite songs.
I’m still working on Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” and “Renegade” by Styx (with Charlie).
44. Learn to play the piano by practicing at least three times a week.
Done.
MISCELLANEOUS PROJECTS
45. Learn the names of every employee who works at my school.
Progress! I learned the name of two paraprofessionals who I don’t work with directly but occasionally see in the lunchroom.
46. Convert our wedding video to a transferable format.
Done! The wedding video, along with a great deal of other content, was successfully extracted from my ancient Apple laptop. The footage was not removed in perfect order, so some work will need to be done to reassemble the parts of the video, but at last, this goal has been completed.
So excited!
47. Memorize five new poems.
No progress.
48. Write to at least three colleges about why they should hire me.
I have begun writing the letter.
49. Complete my Eagle Scout project.
I’ve reached out to the folks who manage the cemeteries in Newington for assistance on this project. No response, which is slightly annoying.
50. Post my progress regarding these resolutions on this blog and social media on the first day of every month.
Done!
