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My New Year's Resolution from 2015:
"There is Nothin' Like a D.A.M.E."
(This Is Part Of A Series Of Looking Back At My New Year's Resolutions From 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016)
My New Year's Resolution from 2015 was musically themed as "There is Nothin' Like a D.A.M.E.," with the acronym 'D.A.M.E.' representing the following:
1. Debt Elimination
2. Activist Sabbatical
3. Music Appreciation
4.
Debt Elimination: Back then, I worked on being out of credit card debt by the end of 2015, so that the money that I spent on minimum payments and interest each month could be spent elsewhere!
Activist Sabbatical: Back then, after the 2014 "Koch Brothers' Midterm Elections," the wind had gone out of my proverbial sails, and I took an "Activist Sabbatical" for the foreseeable future!
Music Appreciation: Back then, while I was not being an "Online Activist," during My Activist Sabbatical, I recharged my proverbial batteries by listening to the all of music that I wished!
Emotional Development: Back then, before I could even think about starting a new Exercise Routine, I realized, on January 31st, 2015, that I had some Emotional Development issues that I needed to work on!
[October 28th, 2019 Update, Written On January 23rd, 2022: I decided to stop taking public transportation in order to get around... So, I started to walk everywhere I go in order to transport myself—and as a way for me to exercise at the same time! However, I am limited as to how far I can travel, since I can only walk about a total of three to four miles in one direction. And so, I have been walking everywhere I go, ever since October 28th, 2019.]
And, back then, I provided an update, sometime after January 1st, 2016, of my year-long efforts in 2015—along with updates provided during the year—with "D.A.M.E." (Debt Elimination, Activist Sabbatical, Music Appreciation and
-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"
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My Writing Notes:
The reason that I wrote this prose can be summed up with the following statement: Back in 2015, I wrote this prose because I carried over My New Year's Resolutions from 2013 and 2014, which focused on 'Conscious Consumerism,' but, in 2015, I worked on Debt Elimination, an Activist Sabbatical, Music Appreciation and
Also, this prose was originally published January 1st, 2015 on my "Small All White in the Forest" and my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blogs; however, I eventually decided to only keep the "New Year's Resolution" type of posts on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog, since these posts are more about philosophy than poetry.
And I also decided to republish these "New Year's Resolution" type of posts from my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog, on this new "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blog. You see, these "Resolution" posts were originally published in the years 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 on January 1st—with updates provided, for each of the above-mentioned years, at the start of the following year (with the exception of the update for My New Year's Resolution from 2016, in which case I did not provide an update in 2017 due to being too stressed out), as well as with updates provided during the year in 2015 and 2016—and I have basically kept the same New Year's Resolutions ever since then.
Not only that, these original posts show the progression that I made as I went from consuming animal products to being totally vegan!
And this prose was also published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this prose applies to the message I am trying to convey through "Poet, Artist and Philosopher."
This prose was written in Portland, Oregon.
-Paulee
https://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com
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April 24th, 2015 Update: I bought an exercise outfit and fanny pack to go along with my new shoes in order to encourage myself to exercise on a regular basis.
June 21st, 2015 Update: I finally took my exercise outfit, shoes and fanny pack for a test run (or, a test walk). And I decided to only exercise if I am in the mood and to only exercise until I got tired. Thus, I plan to only exercise, in the beginning of this process, when I am in the mood, and for as long as it feels right, because I am trying to make exercising something that I enjoy!
November 20th, 2015 Update: I am proud to report that I successfully eliminated my entire credit card debt at the first part of this month, which is "a good thing" (as Martha Stewart would say), since I can spend the money that I was spending on minimum payments and interest on other things, such a buying vegan foods and also making donations for political causes, as well as for charitable causes!
My New Year's Resolution from 2015 Update (which was written sometime after January 1st, 2016):
"It's 2016 and—as I mentioned above—I spent the year working on Debt Elimination, an Activist Sabbatical, Music Appreciation and
[January 23rd, 2022 Update: I was editing this post and I decided to research why I had become debt free twice, according to this blog post: first in November of 2015 and again in January of 2016, which is confusing! So, I checked my monthly budget archives and found out that I made one credit card purchase in December 2015, right after I had eliminated all of my credit card debt at the first part of November 2015. Therefore, I paid off that small purchase when I made my credit card payment in January of 2016, which is why it looks like I got totally out of credit card debt two times!]
By the way, I still owe my dad for the furniture that he bought for me when I moved to Oregon from Utah—for the second time—and I plan to repay him as soon as I am able to do so... (Update: I was able to repay my dad for about half of what I still owed him, before he passed away on February 18th, 2018.)
And my New Year's Resolution for 2016 is a continuation of my New Year's Resolution from 2015, since I am finding out that my musically themed New Year's Resolution 'There is Nothin' Like a D.A.M.E.' (which I updated, back then, to stand for Debt Prevention, Activist Return, Music Appreciation and
Speaking of emotional development, I also decided to become vegan again, sometime before the end of March 2015, and I am feeling much better about my food choices, plus I am feeling much better overall. You see, I became vegan the first time in 1999, right before I moved here to Portland, Oregon from Salt Lake City, Utah the first time. (I moved back to Salt Lake City, Utah from Oregon in early 2007—for about two years—and then I returned to Portland in early 2009.) So, this is actually my second time living in Oregon and also my second time being vegan!"
October 28th, 2019 Update, Written On January 23rd, 2022: I decided to stop taking public transportation in order to get around... So, I started to walk everywhere I go in order to transport myself—and as a way for me to exercise at the same time! However, I am limited as to how far I can travel, since I can only walk about a total of three to four miles in one direction. And so, I have been walking everywhere I go, ever since October 28th, 2019.
January 23rd, 2022 Update: I was editing this post and I decided to research why I had become debt free twice, according to this blog post: first in November of 2015 and again in January of 2016, which is confusing! So, I checked my monthly budget archives and found out that I made one credit card purchase in December 2015, right after I had eliminated all of my credit card debt at the first part of November 2015. Therefore, I paid off that small purchase when I made my credit card payment in January of 2016, which is why it looks like I got totally out of credit card debt two times!
This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 066 was edited on May 5th, 2024.
"Prose is using all of the words that are necessary in order to describe all that is necessary to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]
