New Year’s Resolutions: changing lifestyle habits
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New Year’s Resolutions: we’ve all made them. I know I have. I can’t tell you how many times I vowed to quit smoking (going on 7 months now by the way), go to the gym (yeah right), and write more (wink-wink). But inevitably most New Year’s resolutions (NYR) fall through before the end of January.
This year is going to be different though. I’m not necessarily making any NYR, because I already started shifting things around in my life. I turned 27 in September and that one hit hard. I don’t think that I’m old, because I’m clearly not. But I am getting older. It’s noticeable every day.
It’s in my face each morning when I wake up. There’s a line right by my eye that doesn’t go away anymore. Every morning when I get out of bed I feel it because my left one is kind of a lemon. But I mostly find myself getting tired more easily than I used to.
These changes are subtle, and I might be the only one who notices them, but I do. And since getting older, I feel like some things need to change. For example I am no longer the type of person who enjoys large crowds and loud music (ie. nightclubs). Even when dive bars get packed and loud I absolutely hate it.
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On New Year’s Eve I wore a really nice tux — and people bumped into me spilling drinks all over my suit. I was furious. More so I was getting a headache because of the loud music and couldn’t even talk to my friends because there was no point. They couldn’t have heard me anyway.
I’m sorry. I’ll try not to rant too much. Needless to say, I want to begin spending more time with friends outside of bars. With so much to see and do in LA, I can’t believe how much time I’ve spent on Santa Monica Blvd. between Robertson and La Cienega. But it’s been fun, and it will continue to be.
Another aspect of life that I want to focus on is investing more quality time with people I love, friends and family alike. Sometimes I randomly hang out with a friend and remember how much I love them. And then shocked when I realize how long it’s been since last seeing them.
This happens far too often for my liking. I realize that people lead busy lives, and we probably won’t see or talk to everyone every single day. However, I’m going to make an effort to call — not text — my loved ones occasionally. Even if it is just to talk. I don’t know why that concept seems so foreign to me…
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Last, but certainly not least, I want to begin appreciating little moments in life. I used to see them all of the time, but I’ve been so “busy” lately. Little moments occur randomly throughout your day. That moment while walking down the street and make eye contact with a little kid and we both smile.
Or the lady on the streets of San Francisco who offered me one of the cookies she made for the people who worked in the shop on the corner. I didn’t take it obviously. I’m an Angeleno now. You don’t take food from strangers. But it was a kind gesture regardless, one that makes me smile when I think back on it.
And so we have a new year. We all get a fresh start, and that feels really good. The past is the past, and the future is bright. There is so much more to see and do, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Kyle Levy is a 27-year old man living in and loving Los Angeles. A graduate of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) who majored in English and minored in Renaissance and Reformation Studies, Kyle has wide ranging interests from history to art to politics. Most importantly he enjoys language in general. The written word holds an intrinsic value equal to no other. It is the thing which separates humans from every other creature on Earth. With this Kyle hopes to change the world as much as possible with the time afforded to him.
