This Is Kindling

Editor's Note: Despite my many prior adventures as a "blogger," this current rendition seems a bit more precarious than the rest.  Like, if I don't really try this time, the tiny little New Year's spark will sputter and die.  So here goes!  Onward to Post 3!  Tada!

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions because why make a promise to myself that I know I won't keep?  How many times have bold resolutions like "LOSE WEIGHT!" ended up aborted and collecting dust on the scrapheap come year's end?  And, who needs that kind of disappointment in his life?  Not I!  No, sir.  So there I was stupidly foregoing a chance to improve myself (incrementally or otherwise) each year.  That is, until I read this piece (I wish I could find it again!) that broke this whole resolution things wide open.

So apparently the secret is to resolve to do positive things that you like (so for example, travel) as opposed to promising to inflict self-immolation on yourself (so for example, dieting).  That's not to say you shouldn't make an effort to diet or quit smoking or exercise more, but the point of the piece was that it's not good to make those types of anti-pleasure-points into resolutions because it makes it infinitely less likely that they'll be kept.  I mean, let's be honest, few of us have willpower of steel, especially with the stress and anxiety of modern-day life.  But, if we resolve to do a couple of positive things, then the chances of success improve exponentially.  Interesting hypothesis, right?


All this to say that for the first time in a long while I've actually made some resolutions.  And what better way to celebrate that fact than to share it with the world.  Not that anyone cares, but I figure "outing" my resolutions online will create some added incentive to pursue them. Hey, I like wacky new-age hypotheses on New Years resolutions as much as the next guy, but let me tell ya, as a Japanese guy, "shaming your ancestors with the stench of public failure" is a pretty powerful incentive, too.

Ok, so the resolutions. Obviously "write more" is Resolution One.  The others?  Well, I don't have them all decided (hey, it was quite hectic at the transition between years!) so I'm keeping a running list.  I like things in threes, and I imagine at some point I will get to three resolutions.  But before Three, we need Two, which brings us to today.  I decided Resolution Two will be "cook more."  Not that I don't love eating out and all, but I figure I should up my cooking game beyond just pasta, cereal, and fried eggs.  And you know what, it's been pretty fun so far. 

Like, today, I made one of my favorite side dishes from scratch--guacamole.  I love guacamole.  I will smear that delicious green paste on anything.  Now, in the past, I never would've thought of such a crazy thing as making it myself.  "Guacamole?  From scratch?  Are you crazy?  Guacamole is a magical emerald treasure whose properties are far beyond my feeble comprehension."  But, as it turns out, the mighty guacamole was no more than: garlic, shallots, lime, tomato, avocado, jalapeno and salt.  Chop chop.  Mix mix.  Yum Yum.

Plus, I'm starting to realize that cooking has a sort of therapeutic/Zen element to it.  As I was chop-chopping and mix-mixing the ingredients to the guacamole, my initial thoughts were, "This is a trick!  There's no way that these things will become the side dish I love so much."  And yet, everything turned out as promised.  I haven't quite unlocked the Zen mystery behind cooking--something like "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts," but I hope that'll be a nice little collateral takeaway from Resolution Two.

Anyway, that's it.  Another post to keep this thing alive.  I'm still here, blog.  Your little flame will have to flicker on for another day more at least.  Until next time.

--KM

"Heaven.  I'm in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak."