There’s a certain point in life where it seems silly to make New Year’s resolutions that aim for self-improvement.
It’s at the age where, if it hasn’t been fixed by now, it ain’t gonna get fixed. You’re just better off living with whatever it is, and mitigating the damages. I am at such an age, 57.
I’ve been there for a few years now. I was in my early 50s when I simply stopped making New Year’s resolutions.
This year I decided to re-introduce the resolution tradition. I still reject common self-improvement vows, things like losing weight, maintain a better oral health regime or exercising more. This year, under the influence of people I’ve met and stories I’ve written over the last 12 months or so, my goal is to better soak in what this state has to offer, to live my best Wisconsin life.
It’s less about making myself better, and more about using my time better. Maybe you’ll get inspired too, no matter what your age.
We’ve got some of the best cheese in the world here in Wisconsin. Kyle Koll of Sargento Foods in Wisconsin takes a sample of cheese to judge during the 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest on March 5, 2024, at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, Wis.
Eat more cheese
This resolution got its start way back in March when I traveled to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to interview the professional cheese tasters of the Center for Dairy Research. I learned that tasting cheese isn’t the same as eating cheese. It’s way more complex and hyper focused.
As I contemplated the rigors of cheese tasting, I realized that when I eat cheese, and everything else really, I tend to gobble it down, often not even taking the time to taste it. The way the professionals do it is they go slow and really take a deep dive into the layers of taste that cheese offers. My intention is to try different kinds of cheeses, and do the same.
My inspiration: Fresh. Buttery. Soapy. Astringent. Enter the world of professional cheese tasting.
Jared Schutz of Wisco Dive Bar Reviews stands outside “the most iconic dive bar in Wisconsin,” the Plywood Palace in Moquah.
Drink more coffee, beer and vodka
Like my cheese resolution, I want to actually taste these things. Enjoy them, savor them.
I drink a ton of coffee, but I should try different spots and slow down as I get pepped up. The cool thing about coffee shops is that they are everywhere, and if you avoid the chains, every one offers something a little different. Oh boy, I like that.
My inspiration: 5 cozy, small-town Wisconsin coffee shops for a dose of hygge in the winter
I actually drink very little beer, but maybe it’s time for me to (within reason) try different offerings throughout the state. At the same time I want to visit the small-town bars that dot the state. Talking to Jarod Schutz who posts Wisco Dive Bar Reviews made it sound so much fun.
My inspiration: Wisco Dive Bar Reviews has become an online force by tapping into old-style taverns
Finally, when I tried the Knowlton House Distillery products, I found their spirits − made with whey, a byproduct of cheese — I used some of the skills I learned from the professional cheesemakers. I found the taste of the vodka to be light and creamy. I will be back.
My inspiration: Here’s why this vodka and gin may be the most Wisconsin-y booze of all. Hint: Cheese
Kristi Flick Manus and Tom Manus have been traveling and writing together for about 30 years.They have got a knack for finding unusual and unique stories and places to visit. Their book “Secret Wisconsin: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure” features more than 80 of the places they’ve found.
Explore more of Wisconsin’s nooks and crannies
All too often I have a mission when I’m out and about. I need to get there to do that. It’s time make meandering a goal upon itself. The concept was underscored when I spoke to Tom and Kristi Flick Manus, the authors of the travel book “Secret Wisconsin: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.” Like them, I’m addicted to weird, wonderful and obscure. I plan to use their guidebook as a starting point, and then just turn a corner sometime, and see if I can find my own weird, wonderful and obscure spots.
My inspiration: Travel book ‘Secret Wisconsin’ shines a spotlight on the state’s offbeat destinations
Mark Nicklawske of Duluth, Minnesota, skates on the Lake Wausau near Memorial Park as the sun sets behind Rib Mountain.
Get active and outside
Ever since March 1, 2018, I’ve exercised outside for at least 15 minutes everyday. That is not going to stop. What I do resolve for this year is to do more. Bike more. Run more. Skate more. Paddle more. I don’t do this for health reasons, although it is healthy. I don’t do it because I’m competitive; I’m way too slow and bad at any of this for that. I do it for the deep and undefinable pleasure it gives me.
Here’s the genius part of this particular resolution: I can feather into the other resolutions, creating a cycle of cycling to eat cheese, drink beer and sip vodka so to speak. I can kayak into the state’s nooks and crannies, and stop for coffee along the way. My top priority: To kayak more rivers and lakes. Wait a minute. It’s to bike on more state trails. No! It’s to Nordic ski in more areas of the state. Wisconsin is simply the best for this kind of stuff.
My inspiration: Love paddling a canoe or kayak? Wisconsin has dozens of water trails just for you
And: Minocqua Winter Park ranks as one of the top 10 cross-country ski resorts in the US
And: Lake Superior said no to kayaking the Apostle Islands sea caves, so we headed to Washburn
Judith Schulz with a few of the puzzles from the Logic Puzzle Museum in Burlington.
Visit more museums
I learned about museums that are devoted to the accordion, puzzles and games, and oddball cars while working a story in October. As I was researching it, I found dozens of other places I want to go to learn more about the people, places and things that make this place special. These museum will give me impetus to visit areas I haven’t been, and, I bet, inspire me to find more. I can’t wait to get started!
My inspiration: 5 unusual Wisconsin museums: ‘World’s worst car,’ accordions galore and tons of mustard
Keith Uhlig has been writing about Wisconsin, its people and all it has to offer since 2000. Raised in Colby, he loves wandering around the state. He can be reached at kuhlig@gannett.com, and is on Facebook, X and Threads.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: New Year’s resolution: To live the best Wisconsin life