Welcome to my September 2023 roundup and goals update. Here in Southern Ontario, September turned out to be the best part of the summer with some beautiful sunny days. We’ve been making the most of our new deck before the weather turns to fall, as it’s sure to do now that we’re into October.

Read on for my monthly goals update, and insightful posts on longevity escape velocity, inaction as the best action, affordable zero waste, the pitfalls of arrogance, and thoughts on celebrity ghostwriters.

Happy reading!

Cool things I read in September

Since publishing my first monthly roundup at the end of 2020, it has been an honour to introduce you to some of my favourite bloggers. I started the roundup to say thank you to the blogging community and bring attention to talented writers who create funny, inspiring, and informative content.

Here are five pieces that caught my eye in September.

Longevity Escape Velocity – Existential Ergonomics

This post from Esoterica is a fascinating read that looks beyond longevity and considers the idea of living forever.

Barring accident, terminal disease, or global disaster, there is a 50/50 chance someone my age (34) with healthy habits will live forever. With each subsequent generation, that opportunity rises. I know many are weirded out by that but I, for one, and beyond excited at the prospect of playing with my great-great grandchildren and launching into a second career as a structural engineer.

Existential Ergonomics, Longevity Escape Velocity

When the best action is inaction – Dr. Gerald Stein

In a world that praises action, it’s sometimes hard to conceive that doing nothing can be the best thing to do. In this brilliant post, Dr. Stein unpacks situations where silence and inaction can be powerful!

Conventional wisdom tells us to step forward, assert ourselves, and take decisive action. Not so fast. Sometimes, stretching time, holding the moment in place, and waiting is best.

Dr. Gerald Stein, When the best action is inaction

Affordable zero waste – How sustainability can save you money – The Ideality

One of the misconceptions about sustainability is that it’s expensive. This excellent post outlines all the ways reducing waste and living green can save money.

The need of the hour is to reframe our perspective on zero waste living. It’s not about immediate financial sacrifices but rather about making mindful, cost-effective choices that yield substantial savings over time.

The Ideality, Affordable zero waste – How sustainability can save you money

The pitfalls of arrogance: Why humility triumphs – Wise & Shine

In this brilliant post, Cristiana contrasts arrogance and humility. Which side would you fall on?

Arrogance is a thread that often unravels, leaving behind a trail of missed opportunities and strained relationships. Embracing humility, on the other hand, weaves a fabric of personal growth, stronger connections, and professional success.

Wise & Shine, The pitfalls of arrogance: Why humility triumphs

Ghostwriters for celebrity fiction novels: Cash grab or creative outlet? – Tales of Belle

I’m always fascinated by “writers” who use ghostwriters. This thought-provoking post looks at the practice of celebrities using ghostwriters to publish fiction. Are they simply cashing in on their fame? Should they be required to disclose this?

When a ghostwriter is hired by a celebrity, the ghostwriter agrees to write the story for no credit, and sometimes, the ghostwriter has to sign a Nondisclosure Agreement that states the ghostwriter cannot legally share they wrote the book.

Tales of Belle, Ghostwriters for celebrity fiction novels: Cash grab or creative outlet?

What I wrote in September

In case you missed any of these, here are the new posts I published in September here on Boomer Eco Crusader.

• Microforests – A tiny idea with big potential – A Climate Change Collective post
• The Sunday Spark – The power of positive affirmations
• Is bamboo sustainable? Here’s what I learned
• The Sunday Spark – Why don’t we celebrate generational differences?
• The Sunday Spark – School’s out…forever?
• It’s time for a climate change fact check – A Climate Change Collective post
• The Sunday Spark – There really is no place like home

In addition to my new posts, I also republished these favourite posts:

• Why you need to laugh today!
• 15 ways to protect yourself from fraud

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September goals – How did I do?

After a busy and chaotic summer, September was about getting back to basics and re-establishing a routine. Let’s see how the month went.

Fitness goals

This month, my goals were 150 minutes of exercise every week and 30 outdoor walks. I exceeded both goals with an average of 154 minutes of weekly exercise, and 33 outdoor walks.

Read three books

I did it. Here are the books I read this month:

• Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
• Famous In A Small Town by Viola Shipman.
• You Can’t Google It! by Phyllis Weiss Haserot.

Limit candy to once a day

I did surprisingly well on this goal in September, limiting candy to once a day on 25 of the 30 days. I even had a couple of days where I didn’t eat any candy.

Eat healthier snacks

I did okay on this one, but there’s definitely a lot of room for improvement.

Journal daily

Finally, I recorded daily highlights in my journal 28 out of 30 days in September.

My October goals

October promises to be another busy month. My mum and I are heading to England on the 18^th to visit my sister.

• Fitness goals: Unlike my July vacation, I don’t expect to be hiking challenging trails and logging 20,000 steps a day when I’m in England. It’s unlikely I will be able to keep up with my regular workouts, so I’m simply setting a goal of some form of physical activity every day in October. That could be a mini-workout, or an outdoor walk.
• Reading: Since I’ll be travelling, I should be able to manage 3 books while on trains, planes and ferries—or those early mornings when I’m up before everyone else.   
• Journal daily. I did a great job of this in September, so I want to keep up the momentum. I’ll be packing my journal and recording daily highlights of my travels.
• Writing goals. Write a children’s story. This is one of my 60 before 60 goals. I have a vague idea of what I want to write about. I’m going to try to get at least a first draft done in October. My biggest challenge here is figuring out which age group I want to write for. Stay tuned…

That’s it for October goals. I expect this month will be all about time with family, so I don’t want to get too ambitious.

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Thanks for dropping by to check out my September 2023 roundup. I hope your October is off to a great start.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the posts I’ve shared. Tell me what you think below.