Let's have a rousing chorus of cheers

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I don’t make New Year’s resolutions anymore. Instead, I set some small, attainable goals that I think will improve my life, & I rarely put any deadlines on myself. It’s more about growing as a person, & less about trying to achieve perfection. So, in the spirit of being real & open about my world, I humbly present, in full public view, my:

Thirteen Goals for 2007 (& beyond)

1. Throw out all the back issues of magazines stored around the house~ I mean, really, it’s getting ridiculous- I have some that are 5 years old (& more). I seriously doubt I’ll ever have a lack of reading material around here, not with my book obsession & the close proximity of both the library & Barnes & Noble. If I haven’t needed them by now, I doubt I ever will.


2. Read 1 non-fiction book this year~ I have a tendency to stick with a couple genres of fictional material, mostly because I’m trying to escape from real life for a while; but now that I’m out of school for a while, I feel the need to expand my mental horizons. Nothing too heavy or intellectual- maybe a biography.


3. Use the library more often~ I started cleaning out books this time last year- I have too many paperbacks & not enough shelves. Besides, I know I spend more on books than I should, since our library is 3 blocks from my work. Now that our Library system has an online catalog, I can find & reserve books to pick up.


4. Take on a new challenge activity~ I know what you are thinking, but I really do have time to do something new in my life! I suppose it comes from being in school for so many years, but I need the stimulation of being outside my comfortable little world. This is tough for shy, lazy homebody like me, but I need this to grow. I already have taken the first steps on this one, but I’m not ready to reveal all at this point; never fear, you will hear all about it soon.


5. Cook dinner two nights a week~ After so many years of night classes, I got out of the habit of cooking; fortunately for me (& my children) I married an awesome man who likes to cook & didn’t see it as an imposition. It is time for me to take my share of the responsibilities again; besides, I want to improve my health & cooking from scratch will help me control the amount of crud in our diet.


6. Drink two 16 ounce bottles of water each day~ Yes, I know I’m suppose to drink more than that, but if I can get to this point daily, I’ll be ahead of where I am now.


7. Lose (& not re-find) 25 pounds by December 31st~ As I mentioned in my previous post, I have a lot more than that to lose; this is a place to begin- 2 pounds a month isn’t too scary or overwhelming.


8. Take a 30 minute walk three times a week~ Again, this is a starting point; it’s a realistic commitment for me- it’s all about forming the habits.


9. Go to the gym once a week~ To this end, I changed our membership to another facility closer to our home. It is a small, brand new club that just opened last week; it’s only 0.7 miles from the house, close enough to walk (with the added benefit of being $7.00 a month cheaper). Viola, one 30-minute walk (to & from) down.


10. Buy a new camera~ This about improving my skills; I love photography & have a certain level of natural talent (I won a contest a number of years ago with a snapshot from a plain old Kodak Instamatic), but I would like to take it to the next level. Though I’ve taken college courses, I think this is going to be more about getting out & doing it, then reading & studying about it. Of course, given my nature, I will probably still be doing some reading on the subject; hey, there could be my non-fiction book!


11. Install & use the photo software I bought 2 years ago~ Part of this is clutter relief- the box has been shuffled around the computer desk & needs to be dealt with; the rest is about doing something with all the pictures stored on my computer that need fixing or enhancing, & then actually printing some of them out.


12. Attend two scrapbooking crop nights~ To deal with the results of #10 & #11. A rather large scrapbook store opened up last year just across the street from the knitting shop. They have a regular monthly crop events- something like $10 for 6 hours, access to store equipment, & individual tables.


13. Deposit $25 a pay period in my “Scotland” savings account~ If I ever want to take that trip, I have to get serious about saving for it. I can (& probably will) do more than that, but if I can commit to a minimum & consistent deposit, I’ll have something to show for it pretty quickly.
    

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Cat Haiku

Oh no! Big One
has been trapped by newspaper!
Cat to the rescue!