I'm actually excited about starting a new year. I usually am. Even when the past year was an awesome one, I just get excited about that FRESH START! (2012 probably would *not* be categorized as an awesome year for me...not that it was *all* suck by any means, but it certainly had enough suck thrown in to drag it far from awesome status.)
But yeah, fresh starts. Ahhhhhhh. Love them. No resolutions this year. But as I mentioned before, a general goal of "simplify, de-stress, and be just a wee bit more selfish." (And yes, I'm having a horrible time with that "selfish" part...it just sounds so, well, so selfish! :P )
Okay, that said, I do have a few "sort of" goals in mind as well. By sort of, I just mean that I am free to pitch them right out the window if they start conflicting with the whole major goal thing.
1. I'm thinking about having a theme for each month of reading this year. For January, I'm planning on joining in on Ana's and Iris's Long-Awaited Reads Month. But I'm planning on making mine a bit more specific. I'm going to concentrate on reading books that I've been dying to read but have been sitting on my shelves for months (okay, often years) because of Ana.
Pretty sure that February's theme will be graphic novels...I don't really know why but I tend to connect winter break and my birthday with graphic novels, so I think I'll just make a month of it. As for March, I'm thinking of concentrating on all the garden/food/sustainability books I've been eager to read...March seems appropriate as the end of the month is generally when we start planting our seeds indoors.
During all months, I'm encouraging cheating with one book that just totally catches my eye from outside the theme. Plus, of course, reading for school will have to be tolerated. And I definitely want to get back to reading Bradbury Stories with Chris--I have been so remiss. :(
2. Because I just have fun making lists and plugging in the books read, I made a whole new list of challenges I'm unofficially tackling on that "Reading Challenges to Fail At" tab. Though even calling this a "sort of" goal is probably stretching it...I really don't *try* to complete any of them--I just plug in books when they happen to fit.
3. Spending one weekend a month on Christmas. I'm really excited about this!!! My dear, dear, dear friend Chris sort of jokingly suggested we do this. He is so incredible about trying to keep me sane...he really, really is. :) But even though it was sort of jokingly suggested, we decided to run with it...and I couldn't be happier!
4. Sending more snail mail. Care is my total inspiration for this. Every time I received a card or letter from her, it just completely made my day! I know my notes/letters won't be as charming as Care's always are, but hopefully I can brighten a few days along the way for someone else.
5. Start Project Life yet again. And try to keep up and stick with it. I know, this is getting old. But what's that quote about trying and failing??? Maybe I'll fail just a little bit better this time, right?
6. Walk 10,000 steps 6 days a week. And as for that off-day--I can stockpile them. I've tried this time and time again, but when I'd have a bad patch with the fibro where it was a struggle to just accomplish what *had* to be accomplished, I'd get discouraged and eventually quit, only to start again when I got over my frustration. I'm hoping that scheduling in a day off per week, and especially a day off that can roll-over if I don't use it, will help keep me on track this time.
So, that about does it for me on this year's goals, or almost goals. How about you? Are you a New Year's goal maker? Goals or not, I hope you have a wonderful, joy-filled 2013!!!!
18 comments:
Looking at that pile makes me feel like I'm doing something right :D Now I just hope you don't hate them all, lol :P Please start with The 10PM Question? I just really, really want you to read that book.
Good luck with all your plans and Happy New Year!
Love your goals. They seem so much saner than mine. Here's to both of us being successful at our chosen challenges!
I don't do resolutions! I am old enough to be more than tired of never keeping them lol..I hope you have a great year and I hope you and Chris do well with those Christmas weekends!!! Sounds like a great idea!!!!!
Great goals!!! I especially like the one about scheduling down time. I tend to avoid downtime, then burn out and feel guilty about crashing. Enjoy your journey.
I LOVE THIS POST!!!! So much awesomeness Debs!!! I'm so with you on 2012 being somewhat for the dogs…though at the same time, it was a really great year too! 2013 just has to be better, right??
Um, I am in LOVE with your idea of making each reading month a themed month!!!! And I'm totally tempted to join in with you on that :D I just may!! Though I have tons of new releases for the year marked on a calendar so I may stray off :p
And don't worry about The Bradbury!! i don't think I've read anything since November, but I really want to get back to it.
And YES to Christmas weekends :D :D I'm so excited about them!!!!! I meant to tell you the 14th-17th sounds perfect for this month :) Like how I extended that there :p
Happy New Year Debi!! Being selfish is a fabulous goal...it was one of mine in 2012 and I think I managed just fine. :-D Doing things that YOU want to do is sanity-inducing. Maybe you could call it that instead of being selfish. :-D
Good luck with all of those goals...and keep us updated on those Christmas weekends...they sound like fun!
Happy New Year, Debi! I do love the whole clean slate feel of the new year. It makes things just seem more possible, whether they are or not. I've got no official resolutions myself, but if I made them I would want to read more books, lose more weight, and get rid of more stuff I don't need. :)
Also, I've been meaning to say thank you very much for the Christmas card and bookmark you sent me. If I hadn't fallen off the face of the internet, I'd have thanked you much sooner because it always brings a smile to my face to see something Christmas-y coming in the mail from you, and the bookmark is helpfully keeping my place in my copy of The Snow Child.
Thanks again, and hope 2013 shapes up to be a great year for you! :D
Wait!! I must know more about Project Life and whether it's the same Project Life I've been thinking about starting! The scrapbook with the dividers that you just have to plug stuff into?? Surely you can't be doing something that simple!!
Great list of things Debi! Selfish is hard for me, too, but I need to allow myself to be selfish every once in a while. AND TO NAP!! I think this year will be full of naps (ie doing NOTHING). :)
Happy Happy new year to you.
Ana,
I'm so happy you said that--because I've known ever since you and Iris came up with this idea that The 10 p.m. Questions was going to be my first read! :D In fact, I would have started it yesterday, but I want to finish More Baths Less Talking first which I started at the end of Dec. And I've got a few things I've been trying to get read for school. But I shall be cracking open The 10 p.m. Question before week's end for sure!!! :D
Jean,
LOL--yeah, my are WAY MORE SANE!!! Though yours are definitely WAY MORE EXCITING as well! :D
Pat,
I don't blame you one iota on the "no resolutions" thing! :P
Snowball,
Thanks! :)
Chris,
LOL--I *love* how you extended it! :D And I definitely hear you on the worrying about blowing it if you tried for themed reading months. That's why I encouraged myself to read one book "outside" the theme and why I refuse to get pissed at myself if I just give the idea up altogether. See--you really should do it, too, with the no-pressure attitude!
Jill,
Ooooh, I like that, and it stills gives me the little thrill of alliteration. "Simplify, de-Stress, and Save my Sanity" :D
Megan,
I love that--"read more books, lose more weight, and get rid of more stuff I don't need"--I could definitely say that, too. But I won't because it sounds too hard. :P
Trish,
It is the same thing! And yes, everyone else seems to think it's so damn simple. Which of course makes me feel like even more of a loser as this will be the 4th (or maybe the 5th) time I've started it over the past few years. I think the longest I've managed to stick with it has been six weeks. :P
I know exactly what you mean. I think half the books I bought, scatch that, make that 90%, last year were bought because of Ana. At least my first two reads for this month will be inspired by Ana's recommendations too. Happy reading and a happy 2013! And I'm so happy that you will be joining us :)
I'm curious about so many of those books, I hope you enjoy your month of reading them!
Iris,
I'm so happy that you two awesome women came up with this fantastic idea!!!
Amy,
I'm sure I will enjoy--honestly, I'm not sure if I've been this excited about the coming month's reading as I am this month!
LOVE the photo of the pets!
Love lists and love your book stacks. The Secret History is unputdownable! I also love writing letters... let me know if you'd like to be pen friends!
Debi, I just said thank you for the bookmark on the Dec 27 post....so I'll just say here, you are so wonderful and crafty and giving, and I am so delighted with the bookmark. I love the Christmas colours and I should have thanked you much earlier, if I hadn't been swamped with pre-Christmas stuff. Thank you, and so many hugs to you.....
dear friend, i have a friend here who has fibromyalgia also, and she isn't able to exercise much either. Walk when you can, and on the days that you can't, do something else that you love, instead. It would be nice if we could walk everyday, but in the winter, with ice everywhere, it's difficult.
i love your plans for themed reading months, and Christmas weekends, and 'challenges to fail at' LOL!!!! That is so hilarious because it's how I'm starting to think of them too.
Most of all I've realized that if I don't set any goals, then I dont' push myself to achieve anything, so setting goals is like being my own coach and manager. I like your goals, they are fun and interesting. Good luck with them, and I hope you get to read some of those books Ana recommended! I have my own pile from her, and Chris, to get to :-) blogging is so much fun when we convince others to read what we love! lol
Well, you can gladly send me mail!! I love getting mail. And I am getting much better at sending it return... Even though stamps are going up!!! gr... They were too expensive as it was...Good luck on your goals this year, Debi!
One of my goals is definitely to send more snail mail!!! I love receiving letters and I always feel bad when I forget to send them back. Like my Christmas Cards this year. Had every intention of actually getting those out and I didn't. But I'm going to send "January" cards. Everyone gets cards in December. Who gets cards in January, ehhhh? I also love the idea of months of themed reading, though that pretty much guarantees that I'll want to read everything that month except what I picked to be the theme. Why is that how my brain works? I was just telling Trish that because of her post (and your comment on her post) that I fell down the Project Life rabbit hole. It seems like such a nice way to keep track of everything, but it might be too much for me right now, but I might start buying the stuff verrrrrry slowly and start it for next year.
*Rears up to say 'Read the NIght Watch first, because its the bestest, and I want to cry all over it with you. SEes other comments. Sits back down*
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