RESOLVING MY RESOLUTIONS
Well, it is that time of year again. Time to think back on the year that has just passed: to think about where things went wrong, and where things went right. Traditionally, this reflection helps us to come up with a few "New Year's Resolutions" for the optimistic year ahead.
I had an interesting year. Understatement.
I had a CRAZY year. Crazy busy, and crazy CRAZY.
In late December 2009, I turned thirty-nine. At this moment I was suddenly and keenly aware that I would be turning the ripe old age of forty at the end of 2010, and the thought of that caused me to ever-so-slightly lose my mind. At that moment, 2010 became the "Year of The Bucket List" for me. I made it my unwritten goal to try to do one new thing every month, a goal that was accomplished. Looking back, I am not sure that I crossed every SINGLE item on my life long bucket list off, but I did tackle quite a bit of them. Some were bigger items than others, some meant significantly more than others, and some we will not mention here (wink wink). But overall, I did learn a valuable lesson from my insane bucket list year: getting out of my comfort zone can be extremely rewarding and gratifying, if not terrifying. Trying new things - highly recommended.
That being said, I am EXHAUSTED. I seriously haven't stopped in the past year. This year was very similar to one of the very many road races I completed - the starting gun went off last January 1 and I have been running as fast as I can (literally and figuratively) ever since.
2011 is going to be very different. 2011 is going to be the year that I slow down and catch my breath. Don't get me wrong, I still have some crazy stuff planned (i.e. girls weekend in Vegas very very VERY soon) and some challenging stuff planned (already signed up for a few half-marathons). But beyond that, I am really going to make a concerted effort to NOT overschedule myself. I want to actually have "free weekends" be the rule as oppposed to the exception.
The ironic part of all of this is that in my yearning to do significantly less this year, my list of New Year's Resolutions is exceptionally long. I don't know that I will accomplish everything on my list, but sometimes just having guidelines in place is enough to steer oneself in the right direction.
In no particular order of significance or importance, my Resolutions for 2011 are as follows:
Be a nicer person. (Yes, yes, last year I vowed to be a meaner person. It didn't suit me).
Fold laundry immediately after it is done in the dryer. And then put it away.
Complain less. Instead of complaining about things I cannot control (the weather, the traffic), just learn to accept them. And instead of complaining about things that I CAN control (my job, my weight), make an effort to change what specifically is causing me to gripe.
Run a MINIMUM of 20 to 25 miles per week. Because the less miles I run, the more clutter I collect in my brain.
Treat the things in my life that I consider valuable with the attention and care they warrant - keeping in mind that not all of these valuable things are 'things' at all.
Stop spreading myself so thin. Give more of myself to the people in my life that appreciate me, and less of myself to the people that don't.
Floss. DAILY.
More strength training. And while I'm at it, let's give Pilates another shot. Maybe I will discover that I no longer LOATHE it.
Unplug a little. Less facebook. Less email. Less texting. More reading (non e-books).
Plant a garden - so that I can LITERALLY stop to smell the roses every day.
Make an honest effort to smile once a day.
Learn to cook more stuff. And somehow learn to enjoy cooking.
Play more with my daughter. It won't be long before she wont want me to play with her anymore.
Switch back to decaf. Again.
Schedule a couple races this year in cities and states that I have never been to and have always wanted to see.
Stop buying sweaters in the winter and tee shirts in the summer. I think I own 50 million of each.
Appreciate how blessed and how lucky I am. Life is pretty damn great right now.
Schedule that appointment I have been putting off...and putting off...
Reach 300K on Bejeweled Blitz.
Stop complaining about being "40." Because my forties are going to be extraordinary!
I had an interesting year. Understatement.
I had a CRAZY year. Crazy busy, and crazy CRAZY.
In late December 2009, I turned thirty-nine. At this moment I was suddenly and keenly aware that I would be turning the ripe old age of forty at the end of 2010, and the thought of that caused me to ever-so-slightly lose my mind. At that moment, 2010 became the "Year of The Bucket List" for me. I made it my unwritten goal to try to do one new thing every month, a goal that was accomplished. Looking back, I am not sure that I crossed every SINGLE item on my life long bucket list off, but I did tackle quite a bit of them. Some were bigger items than others, some meant significantly more than others, and some we will not mention here (wink wink). But overall, I did learn a valuable lesson from my insane bucket list year: getting out of my comfort zone can be extremely rewarding and gratifying, if not terrifying. Trying new things - highly recommended.
That being said, I am EXHAUSTED. I seriously haven't stopped in the past year. This year was very similar to one of the very many road races I completed - the starting gun went off last January 1 and I have been running as fast as I can (literally and figuratively) ever since.
2011 is going to be very different. 2011 is going to be the year that I slow down and catch my breath. Don't get me wrong, I still have some crazy stuff planned (i.e. girls weekend in Vegas very very VERY soon) and some challenging stuff planned (already signed up for a few half-marathons). But beyond that, I am really going to make a concerted effort to NOT overschedule myself. I want to actually have "free weekends" be the rule as oppposed to the exception.
The ironic part of all of this is that in my yearning to do significantly less this year, my list of New Year's Resolutions is exceptionally long. I don't know that I will accomplish everything on my list, but sometimes just having guidelines in place is enough to steer oneself in the right direction.
In no particular order of significance or importance, my Resolutions for 2011 are as follows:
Be a nicer person. (Yes, yes, last year I vowed to be a meaner person. It didn't suit me).
Fold laundry immediately after it is done in the dryer. And then put it away.
Complain less. Instead of complaining about things I cannot control (the weather, the traffic), just learn to accept them. And instead of complaining about things that I CAN control (my job, my weight), make an effort to change what specifically is causing me to gripe.
Run a MINIMUM of 20 to 25 miles per week. Because the less miles I run, the more clutter I collect in my brain.
Treat the things in my life that I consider valuable with the attention and care they warrant - keeping in mind that not all of these valuable things are 'things' at all.
Stop spreading myself so thin. Give more of myself to the people in my life that appreciate me, and less of myself to the people that don't.
Floss. DAILY.
More strength training. And while I'm at it, let's give Pilates another shot. Maybe I will discover that I no longer LOATHE it.
Unplug a little. Less facebook. Less email. Less texting. More reading (non e-books).
Plant a garden - so that I can LITERALLY stop to smell the roses every day.
Make an honest effort to smile once a day.
Learn to cook more stuff. And somehow learn to enjoy cooking.
Play more with my daughter. It won't be long before she wont want me to play with her anymore.
Switch back to decaf. Again.
Schedule a couple races this year in cities and states that I have never been to and have always wanted to see.
Stop buying sweaters in the winter and tee shirts in the summer. I think I own 50 million of each.
Appreciate how blessed and how lucky I am. Life is pretty damn great right now.
Schedule that appointment I have been putting off...and putting off...
Reach 300K on Bejeweled Blitz.
Stop complaining about being "40." Because my forties are going to be extraordinary!
