Forcing my way back into the saddle. :)
Thank you for sticking with me for 30 days (more or less). It was kind of a fun exercise, but I felt like I couldn't blog and answer everyone's comments. So, I doubt I'll do something like that again, any time soon. On the plus side, I had fun coming up with new ways to stage stuff (taking hat pictures in the dark) so hopefully some of that will influence later blog posts.
I've decided that one way to keep honest about my 2012 goals is to provide little updates here. So, here goes. You may remember the list, I numbered everything so it will be an easier reference.
1, 12 - Minimizing and reducing has been slow. We did a lot of cleaning inside the house, but kind of stalled out after that. We were going to do a garage sale this weekend, but we weren't ready and wanted to run yesterday. Our garage frustrates and stresses me. I really want it to go away.
2, 10 - Stress and anger - I don't know. This has sadly been a tough one for me. I know that there are some things in my life that keep me at a heightened frustration level. I am not sure what to do about that when it spills into other parts of my life. I've become the person that mutters (or yells, if there is nobody around) at the mistakes of other drivers. I'd like to be a more compassionate person. I'd hoped my word for the year would help with that but.... ehhh... kind of mixed results. Partner did send me a quote in January and I've made a copy and put it on my page finder in my organizer since it captures the benefits of calm so well -
When we are angry we are blind to reality. Anger may bring us a temporary burst of energy, but that energy is blind and it blocks the part of our brain that distinguishes right from wrong. To deal with our problems, we need to be practical and realistic. If we are to be realistic, we need to use our human intelligence properly, which means we need a calm mind.
~ HH Dalai Lama
3. Shredding paper - pretty good. I try to go through the mail each day and either put in in a bills or file folder and then throw the rest in recycling. I've kept paper from building up, but haven't done much to fix the backlog of paper we've accumulated.
4. Straightening each day - I am doing well on this one. A few weeks ago, I tried setting a timer for 15 minutes and cleaning something extra each day. Usually I do okay, but I get derailed easily during the week.
5. Weight - ugh! I ran my second 1/2 marathon of the year yesterday and I'm 5 pounds heavier today! I've been weighing myself on the 1st of each month and I am down 0.5 pound since the year started. That's disheartening. I know this would be easier if I could reduce my stress level. I have also tried to exercise 5 minutes a day, if nothing else. This I have NOT been consistent on. I'll try harder this month.
6. Sleep - Nearly every night I get 7 hours sleep. Hurray!
7. 1 project a month, 4,000 yards this year - I didn't get any projects done in January, but finished 3 in February. My yardage is only at ~400 so that needs to increase. I cast on for a project this morning. It's for my mother's birthday so I need to get it done this month. All I can say is the only good thing about casting on 363 stitches is that at least I know the rows will only get shorter!
8. I've read 3 books this year! They are all mind candy (read: simple) mysteries, but hopefully I can keep it up and step it up.
9. I will cook and bake more. Nope, no I won't. Partner has picked up a job with more hours, so I'll likely be doing more cooking, but I've been resisting baking. It's hard to make the decision to do more work for food we don't need - cookies, etc. - when there is always so much else that needs to be done in the house.
11. Yoga - we took one class in January and then... nothing. Hopefully we can do better.
13. House - we haven't made a move on that
14. Run a trail marathon - nope, not yet. I really need to improve my fitness, get more consist in my work outs - I have to run more than one long run every other week - and I think losing the extra 20 pounds would all help considerably in meeting this goal.
15. Write a professional article - ugh. Not yet. I've had the idea in my head for years. But can't seem to buckle down and do it!
16. All paper in the filing cabinet - Nope, that would involve cleaning the garage.
17. I will not buy any "wants" in 2012. I had a couple slip ups in January, but February was truly a month of only buying what we need - food and things for the house. I've been very critical and have stopped myself from justifying "nice to haves" for the house. I hope I can keep it up.
18. Job - well, I've shared a bit of our struggle, and things have not been decided. I probably won't talk a ton about that here, just to be on the safe side. However, I thank you all for your encouragement and good wishes.
Wow. that all sounds very heavy! Can I suggest choosing two or three on the list at a time and focusing on those for a while?
Change seems to creep up on us sometimes, just when we've thought it would never come, and then, like dominos, things start to fall into place.
Posted by: kate | March 05, 2012 at 07:53 AM
Oh, this is so responsible of you. My approach is just to revisit the goal list at the end of the year, and see how I did, because otherwise I would get sad over it.
Posted by: nova | March 06, 2012 at 11:35 AM
well i am impressed.
you have a huge list of resolutions and you are doing an amazing job of sticking to them. good for you.
you were my inspiration for the "resolutions" or as i've been calling them "somewhat binding pledges." i've stuck to the not buying yarn, but my ideas of exercising are still just that... ideas. at least i have 10 more months!
Posted by: melissa | March 06, 2012 at 09:19 PM