On my To-Do List for January 2024, all other plans were crossed out, except for reading the book borrowed from the library and losing weight by dieting and exercising. These boxes are yet to be checked with clear and victorious “V” marks, which makes me feel like Marc Anthony defeated by Julius Ceasar or Napoleon lost to Admiral Nelson.
I still have 11 days to return The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose, for which five readers are waiting. I have already downloaded it on my Kindle, and I check the due date daily like a condemned in a dungeon. My spirit is indeed willing for intellectual stimuli. Alas, the sensory pleasure always wins with the temptation of moving images and vibrant audio in the form of YouTube, Amazon Prime, and NetFlix when I am home.
As for losing weight, it has become a red herring I never thought I would have when I was on the East Coast. Not that I am obese, but I have gained weight since I moved here to Los Angeles. Blame the food and lack of discipline. But this place has a strange spell to make people gain weight because I have heard similar complaints about being adipose from people moving to Southern California, especially LA. Every place has its own aura or vibe, and this place has an atmosphere that prompts people to test their taste buds to the extent possible. Since eating affects losing and gaining weight more than exercising, before going to the gym, which I hardly go to these days, I need to curtail snacks and dinner after 6:00 pm.
Here comes Mr. Artistole again: You are what you repeatedly do. Therefore, excellence is not a performance but a habit. There’s no shortcut to achieving my and your goals – even in this advanced 21st century where Elon Musk says we will all have chips on our brains and travel to Mars. So, I have to carry the unresolved plans to this month because I don’t want to pine away for lamenting and regretting any longer.
Flame, Glass and Ink are Poems, essays, and reading notes by Stefania Joori Suh 
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