Dear Me 2026,

goals for the year

Dear Me 2026,

Dear Me, 2026
I have a lot of goals this year.
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Relocation
• Relocate to the U.S., preferably Capitol Hill (top choice) or Van Dorn Metro.
• Ship back artwork, paperwork, some books, CDs, rugs, and fine china.
• Sell the Oregon property, then buy something in Old Town or Capitol Hill and rent it out.
• Get a D.C. or Virginia driver’s license and register to vote.
• Meet with a CFP to set up a family trust or foundation, transfer all assets, inform Roger, Tom, and Matt, and update passport next-of-kin information.
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Travel
• Spring: Group tour to Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, or Indonesia; possibly Europe.
• Visit Kwangju, Pahang, Pusan, and the East Coast.
• Later: Oregon, California, and D.C.
• October: Paris and a 14-day Mediterranean cruise.
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Creativity
• Write daily for Writer's Cramp, Express It Eight, and Fan Story.
• Blog weekly on Blogloving, Fan Story, Medium, Substack, Wattpad, Writing.com, and a podcast.
• Edit past work.
• Post weekly on All Poetry, Poetry Soup, Poetry Magnum Opus, Poetry Hunter, and Facebook.
• Resume weekly submissions and submit chapbooks.
• Consider self-publishing poetry and novels.
• Finish short story collection.
• Revise the spider novel and Civil War novel; submit to an agent.
• Launch video podcast and YouTube channel.
• Compete in the April Poetry Challenge.
• Launch bi-weekly newsletter and video blog.
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Piano Playing
• Continue playing sonatas.
• Get MIDI cable and music software.
• Write one piece per month.
• Take a music theory course.
• Attend live concerts quarterly.
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Reading
• Read at least 150 books (one per week), focusing on classics. Include one in Korean and one in Spanish.
• Track Fan Story and other poetry reviews daily.
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Movies/TV
• Watch at least 250 movies and TV shows.
• One KD-rama weekly; mix of Hollywood and classics.
• Include Spanish, Bollywood, and opera films.
• On U.S. trips: 10 movies on flights, 3–5 in theaters, and 1–3 live dramas in Oregon, SF, and D.C.
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Online Courses
• One Great Courses or Coursera class per month: French Revolution, Russian Revolution, Civil War, poetry writing, music theory.
• Take all poetry classes, an AI course with Angela, ModPo Plus, and mini-courses.
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Health Goals
• Annual physical and audiologist visit for hearing aid.
• Daily exercise:
o Stair walking (17 flights, six times daily).
o Chair yoga and yoga sessions before stair walking.
o Pilates ball and bike (one hour each while watching TV).
o Daily walk along canal or Alexandria area.
o Gym every other day (90 minutes: yoga, weights, cross trainer, sauna).
• Weight: 170 lbs and stabilize.
• Blood sugar: under 95 and stabilize.
• Re-test blood work in June.
• Dentist every four months.
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Diet
• Drink hot water first thing in the morning.
• Continue kefir, oatmeal, and smoothie for breakfast/lunch.
• Light dinner: soup, salad, kefir.
• Eat out every other day.
• Limit coffee (3 cups), kombucha (1 glass), and alcohol (every other night).
• Continue nightly supplements.
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Financial Goals
• Weekly finance check with Angela.
• Goal: Increase investments to over $6 million by year-end.
• Consider cashing out stocks for high-interest CDs.
• Handle taxes.
• Downsize property.
• Donate 75% of books and all CDs.
• Estate sale or donation of artwork to a Korean museum or ship to D.C./Alexandria.
• Set up an estate plan and family foundation.
• Create a family scholarship fund.
• Donate to UW and UOP.
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Relationship
• Tell Angela daily how much I love her.
• Resolve chronic relationship issues.
• Weekly Zoom with BHS.
• Monthly Zoom with Euclid House and family.
• Other Zooms with friends.
• Meet Song and other friends monthly.
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The End
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