20 in ‘20: Our Twenty New Year’s Resolutions For 2020
An incredible year and decade is behind us. With our hearts full of gratitude for the amazing experiences and memories we’ve shared with marine wildlife, passengers, and one another, we can’t help but look forward to the upcoming year with hope and happiness. As we head into 2020, we as a team at Captain Dave’s have compiled a New Year’s resolution list that we are thrilled to share with you!
Vitamin S.E.A.
The first on our list has to do with some of our most favorite people: you. We find great joy in enabling passengers to connect with animals out at sea each day, and we are excited to implement a new Vitamin S.E.A. dolphin and whale watching safari. This New Year resolution is a fun way to get outside, ‘porposiefully’ connect with nature, and bask in vitamin SEA. Not only is it a way to enjoy an excursion on the ocean, but we will be taking part in intentional ways to connect with our surroundings aboard your safari. From full sensory awareness, taking in the serenity out at sea, and enjoying the sails aboard Manute’a, this trip is an amazing way to kick off the new year.
Use Less Plastic
Because we spend a large portion of our day on the open sea, we become well acquainted with the marine wildlife and materials that call our ocean home. These materials include plastic, which is wreaking havoc on our environment and marine wildlife. Nearly 80 tons of plastic end up in our oceans, leading us to place this resolution at the top of our list this year. Simple and easy efforts include not using single-use plastic. Instead, use reusable bottles, containers, and materials. Cutting back on straws, grocery bags, and plasticware can make a positive difference for all.
Less Screen Time
While modern technologies allow us to connect instantly with facts, people, and places, the amount of time on screens can begin to build up. Research shows that too much screen time can affect memory, mood, and sleep. This year, we’ve made a goal to spend less time on our screens to better enjoy the present moment, improve our mental well being, and explore other fun ways to connect with the life around us.
Connect with Nature Every Day
Recent studies show that there are a plethora of positive benefits to getting out in nature and connecting with the great outdoors. Nature can reduce stress, anger, and fear, and increase our general well being, thus improving our daily lives. We’ll be working towards this resolution by enjoying hikes, strolls on the beach, sitting in the sunshine, sailing, and surfing. The list of ways to connect with nature goes on and on for this one, but we’ll simply be striving to get outdoors more often.
Quality Time with Friends and Family
Our loved ones are dear to us and we cherish the relationships we have with them. As the new year rolls around, we aim to spend a little more quality time with friends and family who mean so much to us. Whether we do this by listening more intently, embracing more often, or loving more deeply, we look forward to the relationships that will be strengthened by doing so.
Eat Healthy
Eating healthy is a common resolution amongst many resoluteres, including us. We are vowing to go more veggie this year as we choose better options such as organic, fresh, and clean food. We’re also sticking with more sustainable options, especially in regards to seafood, as we believe in being good stewards of the ocean and being kind to our flipper-wearing friends.
Serve in the Community
Service is a wonderful way to give back and get involved with our community. The opportunities to volunteer and help out are endless. From volunteering in animal shelters and rescues, food pantries, libraries, retirement homes, hospitals, and museums, to Habitat for Humanity, neighborhood bake sales, or searching for a volunteering opportunity, we are elated to get our hands helping in our hometowns.
Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude
Here at Captain Dave’s, we are big fans of cultivating gratitude. So much that we’ve decided to ramp it up this year and adopt an attitude of gratitude on the daily. From listing things we are grateful for, expressing thanks and appreciation, and counting our blessings, we’re grateful to have this resolution on our 2020 list.
Move More
Although a chill out session on the sofa is restful and relaxing once in a while, we’ve resolved to move more this year. Our health is important to us, making this resolution a must-do throughout the days ahead. With fun exercises and activities such as yoga, tennis, walking, dancing, swimming, and paddleboarding, the options are endless and we are stoked to get ourselves moving.
Wise Water Use
A remarkable blessing we share is the availability of clean freshwater. It runs from faucets, showerheads, and sprinklers, keeping us clean, hydrated, and refreshed. But this is not the case in other parts of the world. Millions of people go without access to clean water, leading us more fortunate individuals to be better with the water we so bountifully enjoy. As a token of appreciation, we strive to be wiser with our water use this year. By turning off the tap when not in use, shortening shower time, running laundry and dish loads when they are full, and not overwatering those flowers in the garden, we resolute to watch our water waste.
Explore a New Hobby
A new year brings new opportunities, making 2020 a perfect time to explore new hobbies. We have everything on our list from joining a dance class, trying out new recipes, water coloring, home gardening, photography, and collecting. We’re giving two fins up for all the fun we’ll have while discovering new activities and interests this year!
Restful Sleep
As we aim to have a more balanced and healthy lifestyle this year, we know that setting a sufficient amount of time apart to receive a restful night’s sleep is key to accomplishing this goal. After a fun-filled day of dolphin and whale watching, we look forward to checking this resolution off as we hop into bed and peacefully snooze the night away. A restful night’s sleep will restore and refresh us, enabling us to be pumped up and ready to enjoy the day with you aboard your unforgettable safari.
Earth Stewardship
Although we spend a large portion of our day on, around, or talking about the ocean, our love for the planet extends to all other parts of it as well. Because of our great love and appreciation for this earth, we resolute to do one thing each day to improve and help it. Whether that means picking up litter along the road, working in a garden, or teaching others about the importance of wise earth stewardship, we are delighted to place this on our list of resolutions for 2020.
Shop Local
We love our community and want to see it thrive. This is why shopping local has made it onto our list this year. By shopping local and buying from shops, sellers, and markets in our area, we are helping our home-based economies to do well while enjoying local goods and finds. This also helps us avoid buying from large retailers that ship products from overseas, These products are carried aboard large cargo that can collide with whales and other sea life during their ocean voyage.
Meditate
There is no better time like the present, which is why meditation is a must-have on our list this year. The benefits of meditation range from less stress and anxiety, more peace, memory retention, and an overall feeling of happiness in life. Sign us up! This practice is completely free and can be done anywhere, making it absolutely doable.
Dive Into a Good Book
Life can get busy and hectic, leading us to crave the comfort of a good read. This year, we resolve to dive into a fun book, (or several!) to enjoy the adventures within the pages of a different world. With non-fiction, fiction, biographies and many more at our fingertips, we are excited to embrace our inner bookworms and enjoy a wonderful story.
Cook More
Nothing says date-night like a delicious meal at your favorite restaurant, but with a number of other days in the year, we want to spend our meal times cooking up fun and scrumptious recipes at home. Not only will it spiff up our chopping and sauteing skills, but it saves on money and calorie consumption, and contributes to a healthier diet. Bring on the pasta night!
Journal
So many fun, exciting, trying, and learning experiences take place each and every day in our lives. To bring validation, gratitude, and growth from these moments, we’ve decided to keep a journal where we can record the meaningful and sometimes mundane moments of our day. A few sentences, paragraphs, and pages will do the trick, plus they’ll be kept for future generations to enjoy.
Compliments
There are so many beautiful things around us, especially in the people we see from day to day. Even though we love noticing the wonderful things about others, we’ve made a goal to speak those beauties and share them with the people who possess them. A simple, “You crack me up!” Or, “I love your shoes,” “You are so kind,” or “Thanks for being such a hard worker,” are a few we hope to use. We sure are stoked to get creative with our compliments!
Stick To It
The most important resolution on our 2020 list is the commitment to stick to our resolutions and make them healthy and consistent habits in our lives. Often, resolutions can be placed on the back burner while becoming the brunt of a joke about how they are rarely met. This year, we resolve to stop procrastinating, stick to our 20 in 20 list of resolutions, and enjoy the success and happiness they bring.