Time Flies

It seems like yesterday, that first digit in the year changed!  I remember all the hoopla surrounding the millenium, and the worries about whether or not we'd be able to access our bank accounts.  And here we are 11 years later.  Where has the time gone?

I don't usually make resolutions for the New Year, although I do usually take at least a few minutes to take stock of where I've been, and where I want to go.  I've been so busy this year that I haven't really done that.  Yesterday's Friday Five did get me thinking a bit, however.  The following aren't really resolutions.  I guess I'm calling them goals --- that sounds less daunting to me.  I  set goals all the time for my students and  I have to set professional goals each year.  None of us always reaches our goals, but at least we try.  Failure isn't absolute, because we've at least made some progress even if we haven't met all of them.  So here, in no particular order of importance, are my goals:

1.  I'd like to read 125 books.  I read 118 books in 2010.  Most of them were pure escapism, and in the category of "brain candy", but I read a lot.  In addition to reading 125 books, I'd like to add a few more books with some meat in them.  One way I'm helping myself is setting up a nonfiction shelf on my Goodreads. com site.  For those of you interested in my books, you can find me there at dswgr6.  As some of you know, I review many of the books of the read, although not all!

2.  I want to take better care of myself, physically, emotionally, spiritually  This is a multiple approach goal!  I'm not setting any weight loss goals, I'm not "going on a diet" (although I desperately need to), I'm not changing my exercise plans.  I don't feel as good as I used to, I'm starting to feel "old", and I never have any energy.  I do plan to be more intentional all around -- about what I eat, how much I eat, how often I exercise.  I think if I just PAY ATTENTION to my body, I will be much more successful in taking care of myself physically.  In the other areas of my life, I am going to continue the practice I've started of saying no when I really can't or don't want to do something.  I'm taking on a huge responsibility in two weeks, of being the moderator of my church.  There will be many tasks that I will have to do in that role, but there will be many tasks that I can delegate.  "I" do not have to do them all --- I can allow someone else to do them.    I need to balance the have-tos  and should-dos with the want-tos and I am going to try not to feel guilty when I sometimes allow myself to do the want-to instead of the should-do.  I am going to schedule time EVERY weekend for at least a half hour of business bookkeeping.  That should help me alleviate some of the time crunches I get into. (We'll see!)  I also want to pay more attention to the spiritual side of my life. I've been struggling with the fact that I don't feel fed when I go to church.  Sometimes I've avoided attending church because I come home so frustrated.  I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with that, especially considering the role I'm taking on, but I'm hoping that a lot more intentional prayer will help!

3.  I want to really be intentional about getting rid of "STUFF". We have a huge house and it's filled.  This goal will take some help from my husband who suffers from the same "It might come in handy" syndrome that I suffer from.  But we've both come to realize that we need to de-clutter and divest ourselves of some of the flotsam and jetsam we've accumulated throughout the years.  We CAN DO THIS!

4.  I want to continue to get together with my family --- our sons, my sisters, my brother, my aunts, my cousins.  We saw  a lot of each other this year - more so than in years past, and I want to continue that habit!

5. This goal I can't blog about.  It's the one that is the most challenging.  I have some ideas about how to reach  it, but there's a lot about it that I have no control over.  So, for that goal, I will need a lot of patience, and a lot of prayer.


May you reach (or make steady progress towards) the goals you have for 2011.