New Year, New Goals

Happy New Year! We made it to 2018!

These first few days of the new year are when many of us decide to start up a new set of resolutions. The whole year stretches in front of us and holds so much potential for getting things done and making changes in our life. Three hundred sixty five days in which we can attempt to accomplish our goals, to make our dreams come true, to become a better person, and so on.

I have a love/hate relationship with goals. I love the feeling of completing a goal, especially one that I’ve been working hard to accomplish, but I hate the getting-started part. It’s so much easier to drag my feet than it is to jump into a new project that I know will take some effort. I can also overthink and over-research something, making it feel as though I am truly involved in my goal, when in fact I haven’t even done much of anything at all. Although, I must say that I’m generally a highly productive procrastinator, and have gotten much better at doing things in a timely manner ever since I had my kids.

This is a great list!

Overall, my resolutions have been simple and fairly consistent for the past handful of years, and they are created and revised throughout the year, not just in January. In a nutshell…

I want to appreciate more, grouch less. Read more, Facebook less. Pray more, worry less. Run more, walk less. Do more, daydream less. Listen more, talk less. Explore more, shy away less.

Here are some more:

Seeing as I have four different cameras, I really should take more photos. It might be good to also organize the ~~hundreds~~ thousands of digital ones I have saved on my computer. Some are pretty good, so maybe I should also frame a few. Time permitting, maybe I can join a local photography cohort, or take a photography class at the community college.
I did my first ever half marathon two months ago and I thought it was something I’d only do once. Well, two days ago I just signed up to run that half marathon again in November! This time, I plan on stepping up my training, especially now that I know what to expect. I’m not going to lie, though, it’s really hard to get up in the morning to put in the miles. As a friend of mine (who’s also a runner) once told me, “…the hardest part of any race is not getting to the finish line. It is getting to the start line.” We’ll see how it goes this year.
On a bookshelf near my kitchen, there sits a cookbook that has been sadly collecting a layer of dust. It has recipes from all around the world. In fact, its title is The Around the World Cookbook. I cannot remember if I bought the book for myself or if I received it as a gift. In any case, I’ve made a few of the over 350 recipes in it, but the book has mostly sat unused. It would be great if I could use this cookbook to make more delicious and interesting meals throughout the year. Maybe 2-3 a week? Perhaps tomorrow’s dinner will be “Tilapia in Tumeric, Mango, and Tomato Sauce” as made in Africa. Maybe one day I’ll make “Lamb Pilaf” like they do in the Caribbean. My daughter would probably like to bake some French “Brittany Butter Cookies” with me. For a special occasion such a dinner party, I’d like to make “Morrocan-style Roast Lamb” with “Seven-vegetable Couscous” and finish it with “Moroccan Serpent Cake” for dessert. Keep an eye on my Recipes page here; you might see more from me as I try things out.
Reading is my life. I love to read. Absolutely love it! And yet, I find myself struggling to find time to read. You working parents out there know what I’m talking about. So at work on my lunch break, I try to read some. At home when I find a few spare moments, I try to read some. When I’m at the doctor or dentist’s office waiting to be seen, I try to read some more. Right now I am on Winter Break and it has been so nice to have extra time to read! These days I’m reading (and loving!) Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks.
Here’s a fairly simple but important one: drink more water. It’s not that I drink soda or coffee all of the time, in fact I rarely do. It’s just that I don’t drink enough water. As a teacher, I notice my water bottle goes untouched sometimes for hours at a time. At home, I have to remind myself to drink water. I like water, but I just don’t ever think to drink it often enough.

So how about you? What are your resolutions?

goals dreams