I skipped making resolutions last year and you know? I missed it! I missed having a goal in the back of my mind to work towards and I missed the sense of accomplishment that comes when you either meet or are well on your way to making a goal. I don't consider it a failure if I don't complete my goal, as long as I've made measurable steps towards it.
That said, the sort of ambitions I had when I was younger are no longer, for lots of reasons. I'm older. I don't want to pressure myself to meet massive goals. I don't have the energy for it and frankly, I'm willing to concede that at this stage of life, I'd rather not be so goal driven that I fail to enjoy the unexpected and unplanned moments that I find arise more and more often. This is why it's called 'retirement'...although I'll be the first to admit that there are times, I do truly feel I am working as hard as ever and I'm only more tired than I used to be, lol.
I did share a few of my ideas earlier but I assure you this is a whole new post and I've taken time to categorize it as I typically would when I write out my annual goals.
Spiritual:
1. Forget a Bible Study, just read the Bible every day. I keep trying to find Bible studies that really spark my interest. It's not that I'm so terribly intellectual, (I'm NOT) nor that I'm so spiritual (too much failure to claim that) but probably the most productive and interesting reading I've done in my Bible was when I took time to read a chapter of the Torah, a chapter of the Old Testament, a chapter of the prophets and a chapter of the New Testament. And no, I didn't always do them all in the same day. But I think I'm going back to this pattern, simply because I found the cross references came thick and fast and it really helped me understand things better.
2. Daily Gratitude Journal. Did you know that this simple task each day can help lower cortisol levels? It's truly a spiritual exercise that benefits us physically. It reminds me that I have plenty for which to be thankful and to focus less on what I don't have.
Marriage:
1. Date once more. Somehow, we fell out of the habit of having twice monthly dates and it was not to our benefit! I think we just need to rethink how we see a date. We've been looking at it as though we could only be on a date if we went out to eat...but there are other things we can do. We can visit museums, since we have access to donation-based museums around us. We can go on picnics. We can go out for coffees, eat breakfast at the local diner (which is very reasonable), take a drive which costs nothing more than gas.
2. Be more independent: I am more interesting when I get out on my own now and then and have fodder for conversation. So to that end, I'm going to try to get out of the house every other week, all on my own. Even a trip to the grocery store alone can provide me with all sorts of observations and conversations with strangers to share with John when I get home.
Finances:
1. Live by the budget. We're making changes in several areas this year and with the slight increase that John is getting in Social Security, we should be able to manage a bit better this year. However, that means cutting way down on Amazon Subscribe and Save orders, as well as sticking hard to our set grocery budget. We'll have less money for entertainment this year and we've agreed to take a portion of our monthly allowance to set aside for vacation. We're cutting down a few categories and eliminating a couple of more. I am hopeful that all of this see us managing much better here in 2025.
Personal:
1. Get up earlier. I sleep better most nights and have far more energy each day when I rise earlier. I allow myself the space however to sleep in on those days when I've had a completely crap night.
2. Walk each day. A doctor once suggested to a patient that he walk just 10 minutes at a time and repeat it two or three times a day. I am determined to walk each day whether it's indoors or out. I want to increase my stamina and benefit from the natural Vitamin D in the sunlight when I am outdoors.
3. Lose weight. I'm still peevish that clothing I bought three years ago is the same size as clothing bought more recently. The older thing fit just fine. The newer things...well some days they fit. I'm not setting a weight loss amount, but I would like to drop enough weight this year to comfortably fit into what is in my closet. My method shall be as it was previously: be sure I'm eating higher protein, watch the carbs, and drink plenty of water.
The Fun Stuff:
Spend one day a week working exclusively on genealogy.
Buy cards, birthday, holiday and generic. I'll go ahead and get the birthday cards set up to go out each month.
Have fun days in the kitchen. I'm tired of always working in the kitchen but never having fun. I want to learn to make new foods of all types. I'll do this once a week. I'd like to work my way through my cookbooks and choose one or two new things to work on each month and get them perfected.
Read at least one Classic novel a month. I have a few on hand, like Little Women, Robinson Crusoe, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Jane Eyre. I'll start with those, but I'd also like to read others. I'm going to look for a list of others to read and will try to source them through the library.
Acknowledge holidays. I think as we get older, we tend to want the comfort of every day, routine stuff. The truth is that we need to break those routine days up with fun days. I'd like to celebrate holidays once more, as I did when the children were young. And now and then I'd like to acknowledge days such as national peanut butter day or pancake day. I mean, why not? I think it would make life fun and heaven knows we could use a bit of fun in our lives! I'll check the calendars each month and choose one or two to add to our own calendar.
Set a small monthly budget for plants and flowers. I love flowers. This year I'm going to set myself a small monthly budget to be spent on flowers, bulbs, bushes to plant in the yard or enjoy in the house. When I do choose flowers for the house, I'm going to try to choose things I can replant in the yard such as Amaryllis, Daffodils, etc.
Bake cookies once a month. I've a load of cookie recipes and I enjoy them, but I can't possibly make and eat them all at Christmas! So I thought I'd make a homemade cookie once a month, choosing a different one each month. And yes, John will still want chocolate chip, but I've noticed that cookies tend to disappear around him regardless of what kind they are.
