1.02.2008

Okay! Hi! I'm doing that resolution thing!

Hello, 2008! You came a little quicker than I expected, but that seems to be the trend with passing years now that I am climbing the age ladder, as it were. Remember how slowly you years changed when I was small? No more! You astound me with your speed now, you stealthy swift years. Avast! New Year's resolutions! I make these this year not so much as, "I MUST DO THESE THINGS THIS YEAR OR I WILL LOSE AT LIFE" but more as, "I think that these things would be very nice goals to accomplish, and I think I will work hard at accomplishing them but not beat myself up if I fall short of the finish line." Onward!

1. Save at least $1200. This is accomplish-able; it's only $100 a month and surely my broke ass can manage that. Plus my savings account is seriously cold and lonely after last year's Europe trip, MacBook, and D40.

2. Take one good non-school-related picture every day. Flickr has a great group for this called Project 365, and I'm going to join it so I can post daily and keep myself motivated. Sometimes during the school year I forget how much I love taking pictures just for shits because I do it all the time for homework. This year I want to make sure I remember why I'm in school for this: because I love it more than anything.

3. Exercise. I'm not going to have a set-in-stone this-many-days-a-week thing, because I'm a slacker and I know I'll fail at that. Plus I walk a lot and I'm not drastically worried about my health (yet), but I'm not in shape and I know I could feel better about my health and my body. I have a class schedule to where I could work out running or swimming or something else at the GSU gym a couple days a week. I think I'll aim for once a week to start with. Aim low! It's harder to fail that way!

4. Grocery shop every other week. I hate grocery shopping and I normally wait way too long to do it, which results in me spending loads of unnecessary money on fast food when I don't have anything for lunch at work because I haven't bought groceries in six weeks. But then I get groceries, and I love it so much! I have food! I have fresh vegetables and fruits! I have lunch stuff! I need to do it every other week. I should never again be faced with the prospect of eating frozen Brussels sprouts and canned tuna fish for dinner. Ever again.

5. Write in my journal once a week. It's not that hard. I've had the same damn journal since March of 2005 because I'm such a slacker about writing. But then I get sad when I open it and I haven't written in forever. SELF-PERPETUATING, DUMMY.

6. Procrastinate less. This is hard to measure or quantify, but I really need to do it. Or not do it. The procrastinating, I mean. I started figuring this out last year: if you just DO your SHIT when you SHOULD, then you have time to relax and not feel GUILTY for not DOING your SHIT! Seems obvious, yes? Not to me.

7. Stress, freak out, breakdown, panic, etc. less. I waste too much time and emotion doing all of these things. I'm trying to learn to roll with the punches.

8. Be able to chill out without feeling guilty that I'm not being productive. I'm really bad at this. It doesn't matter whether I literally have nothing at all to do: no school, everything's clean, everything's done -- I still cannot chill out without feeling like I should be doing something better with my time. I need to get past this.

9. Finish all of the unread books on my shelf. Probably even including Anna Karenina. But maybe not. All of the other books, though. I tried to do that last year and then all seven Harry Potter books got in the way and it just didn't happen. Unfortunate!

10. I would really like to make a quilt this year. I don't know if this is even a feasible resolution, but it feels like it might be. Between work and school and life, it seems like this is the kind of thing that probably won't happen, but you never know, and I'd really like it to happen, so I'm writing it. Quilt! 2008!

Okay! So yay for resolutions! Or maybe not... uh... resolutions, so much as... I don't know, hopes? Wishes? Frothy unicorn dreams? These are probably the most chickenshit resolutions ever, not because they suck or anything, but because I am being so noncommittal about them. Not that I have a problem with failure or anything; I just don't like to be tied down.

2 comments:

Gena said...

I love all of your resolutions. I need to make a few, but you know me - I don't really do that. I try to work on a character trait each year. This year I have a few words that keep popping into my head. They are honor, simplicity and healing. I'm not sure why. I'll just think about it later.

I know you can save that money. You're excellent with money. I'm trying to save, save, save and spend WAY less. I'm getting back to my menu planning and fewer grocery trips. Unlike you, I'm at the store almost every day. This. Must. Stop.

Hey, I love you and want you to come home soon. I hope you have a great first week at school.

Mairead said...

This is so similar to my list. But with more effort!