This year I'm only a day late as opposed to last year when I was almost three weeks late with my new year resolutions. I said then, and I'll say it again, I'm not one for resolutions. Probably because I know ahead of time that I'll fail miserably. And when I look at that list, I'm not sure that I successfully completed one resolution on it.
So why am I doing it again this year? Well everyone needs a new start, right? And there's certainly nothing wrong in setting goals. And isn't the definition of success to be able to pick yourself up after failing and try again? In which case, I am definitely quite successful (at least at picking myself up)!
This year I'm going to beak it down into the subtitles on my blog: Faith, Family, Pastimes, Writing, and Feminine Beauty.
Faith. I'll always be a work in progress but specific areas I need to work on include prayer, patience, hospitality, gentleness, controlling my tongue ... and the list goes on. I'd also like to read through the entire Bible in one year instead of the 18 months that I usually take. There's also a number of 'firsts' happening in my own life over the next month and a half and I know I'm going to have to rely on the Lord in ways that I never have before. Some of these 'firsts' scare me stiff - in fact, they all do - but I know that our God is faithful and will not let me down.
Family. This year - this month! - is going to be a time of adjustment for our family. Next week Son#2 gets married and we have the incredible privilege of welcoming a beautiful new daughter into the family. This special event means that Son#2 will be moving out of home. At the end of this month, if all goes according to plan, Son#1 and his family will move out permanently (they've moved out temporarily to farm-sit DIL's parents' farm but will return after the wedding), and then in February, Son#3 and Son#4 will be off to Uni. Our household will go from 10 to 3 and I suspect that DH, Son#5 and I are going to find it very different at first. I'm also going to miss the busyness (well some of it) of the larger household and definitely the childish smiles and chatter.
Pastimes. The one that springs to mind is to finish the quilt before Son#2's wedding! I'm almost there. All going according to plan the quilting will be done before we leave to go away for the wedding (it's not in our town) but I think the binding will have to wait until after the wedding. But the plan is to have it totally finished by the time they return from their honeymoon. Other pastimes include learning the flute and come rain or hail, getting that embouchure right so that I can reach the second octave without overblowing. (Yes I'm frustrated and ready to give up but I won't.)
Writing. This is perhaps the easiest one. I want more time to write but I'm hoping that when the family move out that this will happen naturally. I want to write another novel this year - the third in my Distant Land series. And I have another one simmering away at the back of my mind that I need to take time to stir so that it doesn't all evaporate.
Feminine Beauty. The hardest for last. Again, I want to lose weight. Exercise more. Grow out some or all of my bangs (I've hated them for too long and each year I say I'm going to do something about them but I never do - guess I hate change more than I hate my bangs). Learn to do those things that other women seem to be able to do naturally. Discover the inner beauty (if there is any) and work on that. Sleep more. Smile more. Laugh more. Love more. Live more.
So why am I doing it again this year? Well everyone needs a new start, right? And there's certainly nothing wrong in setting goals. And isn't the definition of success to be able to pick yourself up after failing and try again? In which case, I am definitely quite successful (at least at picking myself up)!
This year I'm going to beak it down into the subtitles on my blog: Faith, Family, Pastimes, Writing, and Feminine Beauty.
Faith. I'll always be a work in progress but specific areas I need to work on include prayer, patience, hospitality, gentleness, controlling my tongue ... and the list goes on. I'd also like to read through the entire Bible in one year instead of the 18 months that I usually take. There's also a number of 'firsts' happening in my own life over the next month and a half and I know I'm going to have to rely on the Lord in ways that I never have before. Some of these 'firsts' scare me stiff - in fact, they all do - but I know that our God is faithful and will not let me down.
Family. This year - this month! - is going to be a time of adjustment for our family. Next week Son#2 gets married and we have the incredible privilege of welcoming a beautiful new daughter into the family. This special event means that Son#2 will be moving out of home. At the end of this month, if all goes according to plan, Son#1 and his family will move out permanently (they've moved out temporarily to farm-sit DIL's parents' farm but will return after the wedding), and then in February, Son#3 and Son#4 will be off to Uni. Our household will go from 10 to 3 and I suspect that DH, Son#5 and I are going to find it very different at first. I'm also going to miss the busyness (well some of it) of the larger household and definitely the childish smiles and chatter.
Pastimes. The one that springs to mind is to finish the quilt before Son#2's wedding! I'm almost there. All going according to plan the quilting will be done before we leave to go away for the wedding (it's not in our town) but I think the binding will have to wait until after the wedding. But the plan is to have it totally finished by the time they return from their honeymoon. Other pastimes include learning the flute and come rain or hail, getting that embouchure right so that I can reach the second octave without overblowing. (Yes I'm frustrated and ready to give up but I won't.)
Writing. This is perhaps the easiest one. I want more time to write but I'm hoping that when the family move out that this will happen naturally. I want to write another novel this year - the third in my Distant Land series. And I have another one simmering away at the back of my mind that I need to take time to stir so that it doesn't all evaporate.
Feminine Beauty. The hardest for last. Again, I want to lose weight. Exercise more. Grow out some or all of my bangs (I've hated them for too long and each year I say I'm going to do something about them but I never do - guess I hate change more than I hate my bangs). Learn to do those things that other women seem to be able to do naturally. Discover the inner beauty (if there is any) and work on that. Sleep more. Smile more. Laugh more. Love more. Live more.
Comments
May you truly laugh more, love more, and live more fully in 2010! All the rest is "fluff."
blessings,
Elizabeth