“Spring. Rejuvenation. Rebirth. Everything's blooming. All that crap.”
George Costanza, “Seinfeld,” Sept. 28, 1995

Leave it to New York’s favorite underachiever to capture my feelings on New Year’s resolutions. The whole thing seems arbitrary and convenient — a guilt-free way to write off a year’s worth of poor decisions by promising to suddenly and magically improve as a human being. 

That’s cynical, I know, because most people probably have honest intentions of improving as human beings and that should be applauded, even if they lack the commitment to put in the work to effect change. (Sorry, that’s me being cynical again.) 

But I do hope to be a more happy and optimistic person in 2020. So against my better judgment, I came up with a list of resolutions for 2020, which I hope will help me improve as a human being.

Be happy. Are you happy? Like, really happy? If so, I’m glad you’re happy but I’m admittedly jealous. A majority of the time I feel like I’m just existing, caught in a routine of working, eating and sleeping. I have a beautiful wife; a clean, safe home; and secure employment (as far as I know), and yet happiness escapes me. This will be a tough resolution to crack because I don’t have the answer. Maybe I need a dog.

Spiritual health. My relationship with God has never faltered but my relationship with religion is complicated. Certain inexcusable things that happened within the church made me flee several years ago and I never returned. But deep within me, there remains a desire to return and embrace my spirituality, if I can get over the guilt of doing so.

Physical health. I have a dad bod… which would be fine, except I don’t have any kids. Dr. Frischer instructed me to start walking more and to cut out white flour. OK, fine.

Nicer shoes. My friend and mentor George Gordon says one of the first things someone will notice about you are your shoes, so make sure they’re clean and polished. The past couple of years I’ve opted for comfort over style, and honestly, I’m too young for that. The Skechers I’m currently wearing don’t even have shoelaces. I intend to up my shoe game in 2020. 

Try more restaurants. One thing we can’t complain about in Downey is a lack of restaurant options. But I’m guilty of sticking with my favorites and not exploring new places to eat. Food Culture L.A., Tempo Cantina, El Pescador, Fatima’s Grill, Guacamaya Oasis, and Emporio Sushi y Mariscos are some of the places I look forward to visiting.

Enjoy our home. I live in a townhouse in Downtown Downey and it’s honestly fantastic. It’s modern, efficient, and walking distance to everything (and by “everything” I mean Porto’s). But I know it’s not our forever home and sometimes I get in the mindset that I shouldn’t invest in nice furniture, or even get emotionally attached, because at some point we’ll move again. The result is that our home doesn’t have that “homey” feeling yet. I want to fix that. 

Start a podcast. How many people would listen to a weekly 30-minute podcast about Downey? A featured guest, a quick wrap-up of the week’s biggest stories, and maybe a look ahead to the following week’s events. I know I would. All that’s missing is a sponsor.

Slow down. There was a time where I measured my productivity against the number of appointments I had each day. I felt guilty if I had an afternoon free without a meeting or interview. I’ve come to learn that a little downtime to decompress and catch your breath isn’t a bad thing and, in fact, can make you more productive.  

Take more photos. Photography is my hobby but I really slowed down the past couple of years, especially as Alex Dominguez increasingly took over photography duties for the Patriot (he’s fantastic, by the way). I’d like to rediscover this hobby.

Read 5 books. The last book I read was Mario Guerra’s “Embracing Change: An Immigrant Saga,” and that’s only because I helped write it. I want to carve out time to read five books in 2020; not just for relaxation, but also because it will help me as a writer.

Stop putting creamer in my coffee. I guess this correlates with getting healthier. 

Make coffee at home. Speaking of coffee, I have a coffee maker at home that is in perfect working condition. It’s time to use that bad boy, along with the Yeti tumbler I got for Christmas, and save some money.

Use a planner. I’ve relied on my iPhone to keep track of appointments and honestly, it’s done the job. But people rave about the efficiency of planners so I’m going to give it a shot.

Sending wishes for a healthy and joyful 2020.