Promise of a New Day

I was going to do this anyway (yes, the cliche'd resolutions post), but yesterday's events bumped it to the next day. Imagine my surprise when visiting Janet at www.artofgettingby.com to discover that this week's Tell It To Me Tuesday is resolution-related. Now I can kill two birds with one stone (or accomplish two things with one post)!

Janet writes:
At first I wasn't going to do a New Years related TITMT. After all, the New Years thing is bound to be played out on every blog. But then I changed my mind and decided what the hell, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.So today's TITMT is New Years inspired, only with a twist...

Name six things you wanted to accomplish in '06 and seven things you want to accomplish in '07.

Now, as it happens, my New Year's Resolutions usually look pretty much the same year-to-year because, like so many people, I start out with great intentions but only follow through for about a week or so before abandoning said resolutions. And the following year, they're back on the list again because I didn't follow through and I know I really should do something about _______. There are a few new items, inspired by some of my fellow bloggers - so thank you, friends, in advance, for making my list a little different this year.

SIX THINGS I WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH LAST YEAR (and the result)

1) Get in shape, lose the lard, be able to wear my engagement ring again (because my fingers are just too damned fat and my ring is beautiful). NOPE

2) Get my house and yard in shape (down in Wakulla). YEP

3) Make all my Christmas presents and have them done before December 1st (stop laughing!) NOPE

4) Take a class that improves my brain/body. YEP (KenPo)

5) Be better about writing letters to the grandparents. NOPE

6) Reconnect with family and friends, as I have withdrawn somewhat in the past year. YEP

I hope I've learned something from my efforts of last year. And hopefully, my list for 2007 is more realistic and attainable - and won't be repeated due to failure when this list comes up again at the beginning of 2008.

SEVEN THINGS I WANT TO ACCOMPLISH IN 2007

1) Working with my doctor on diet and exercise, I would like to lose 80 lbs (goal weight of 135) and improve my cholesterol levels and blood pressure to the point where I don't have to take medication to control them anymore. Originally, my goal was to accomplish the no-more-drugs part of this by my birthday (March 25th) but that sets up an unrealistic goal in the same way as instant weightloss would... It would be nice, but realistically, I may be looking at mid summer before I get there.

2) I would like to either buy the house we're in and continue with the improvements to house and yard, or buy a different house and get settled in for at least the next 6 years. Why 6? Because if we stay here, we will need to move before Z-boy starts high school. The high school we're zoned for sucks and the one we want him to go to is at or near capacity so is not eligible for school choice. So we would need to move to a more desirable school zone at that point. If we buy somewhere else, we will buy in the appropriate zone and not have to move again (ever, if we don't want to!).

3) I would like to spend more time sewing. When I was younger, I used to sew because my mother taught me. When we made my costume this past year, I remembered so much of what she taught me and enjoyed myself so much that I realized that this was something I wanted to do more of. Whether for home decorating or clothing, sewing is a productive and relaxing pastime I'd like to spend more time doing.

4) I would like to become more knowledgeable about financial matters. I already take care of our household finances, but there is more that can be done to make our future more stable. This includes setting up a college fund for my son, a permanent savings account for my husband and myself, expanding our retirement possibilities and setting up a household budget that is more efficient.

5) I would like to be better at my job. I'm already very good at it without thinking about it too much. But cruising along like that makes for job dissatisfaction, which is beginning to creep in. So many other things have happened this year that took attention from my job - I need to redirect my work-related thinking to make my job more satisfying personally.

6) I want to be a better wife and mother. I want to talk to my husband more and yell at my son less. We need to do more things together and not so many apart. To do these things, I need to feel happier with myself, more calm, less angry. I don't know why I feel the way I do, but suspect that there is underlying stress that I am not particularly aware of and that makes itself known by tying my mind and guts up in knots. I need to discover this problem and fix it.

7) I want to write more. Not just letters to my grandparents (I've already begun rectifying that situation), but this blog, a novel, short stories... My son and I were sitting together at breakfast last Sunday and I had the paper with me. On the front of the lifestyles section was a story about a lawyer who decided to radically change her life and become a writer. It talked about the sacrifices she made and the benefits she's gained as a result of her decision. When I said "Wow." out loud, Z-boy asked me why and I told him about her. Said that ever since I could remember, I wanted to write books. And he looked at me and said, "Well... why don't you?" Good question. Imagine - it took a 7 year old child to make me really examine what I wanted to do with my life. Why couldn't I make that leap on my own????? I will participate in NaNoWriMo this year. It's an international challenge to write 50,000 words during the month of November. I thought about it this past year, but hadn't really prepared myself. I'm going for it in 2007!

There you have it, the 2007 New Year's Resolutions list. It's out there, it's public, and I'll revisit it in 2008 and let you know how I did. Heck, you'll probably be hearing about it so much here that you'll be sick of it before then. But I'll do it anyway...