Start As You Mean To Go On, 2019 Edition

I find myself in the wee hours this morning pondering what I'd like my year to look like.  I truly believe in the idea that you should start as you mean to go on, and so for me January 1st is an opportunity to spend a day living intentionally.  Part of that includes reflecting on what I truly want from my life, and then turning those reflections into clearly articulated goals/resolutions.

Here's what I'd like to accomplish in 2019:

1. Continue to do the very hard, but very good work that I began in the fall of 2018 in therapy.  I'm not entirely ready to speak about either the experience or the reasons yet.  What I will say is that I sought someone with a specific focus, and that instinct has proven to be the right one.  For the first time, I have a therapist who's given me concrete tools to change my life, shared resources to help me explore the life I want to live, and challenged me to examine my interior life more critically.  It's a good thing.  Progress has already been made...there's more work yet to do.
2. Have my second foot surgery asap.  Yeah, it sucks.  But the end results are going to be amazing, and I'd like to get through it as quickly as possible...
3. So that I can get back to running and tap asap.  I'm not setting any goals or dreaming of any races this year, I just want to be able to move again.  I truly believe that motion is medicine, and it's really hard to do nothing but sit around all day.  (Emotionally, though, I'm cool.  I made this choice willingly, and I'm patient enough to live with the consequences.)
4. Realistically, 10 books/month is no longer feasible.  However, I do think that a minimum of 80 for the years is possible.  Reading matters to me, it's a part of who I am, and to stay sane I must give it it's due. 
5. Complete 12 knitting projects. My knitting took a big hit when I went back to work.  Whereas once upon a time I averaged 25 projects or so/year, I'm now under 10.  That needs to change...but I'm smart enough to set the official goal at a reasonable number.  
6. Rebuild the blog.  I don't know what I ultimately want it to look like, but I miss writing for myself.  It's true that I write a lot for work - and all of that is very important, but very technical and repetitive writing.  After two years of that, I'm feeling a bit depleted.  So much so that I was actually surprised at rereading some old blog posts recently at how good they were.  Yes, it's time to reclaim that talent.  
7. Over and over and over again, I'm being advised by various of my healthcare professionals to learn to meditate.  I have a yearly subscription to Headspace, and I've used it enough to know that it is something I enjoy and benefit from.....IF I make it enough of a priority to make it a regular practice, which I have not been good at.  Every single day in 2019.  No excuses.  
8. Devote more time to my work with my church.  I accepted a position for 2019 as a part of the pastoral counseling team, which has already proven to be deeply meaningful to me.  I've felt disconnected for a while, and this feels very good and very needed.
9. Continue to seek ways to improve my health.  2018 brought more answers....and more questions.  It feels like I know a lot, but have been unable to put it all together.  It also feels like there are still some missing pieces.  I've got a plan in place to make one more big exploration this year to see if I can finally put it all together.  
10. Build my skills on the ukulele!  This delightful instrument has brought so much joy and fun to my life, and I want to continue to stretch and grow so that I can enjoy it for years and years to come.  
11. Declutter and purge the house.  We'll never be minimalists...but there is absolutely a lot that we could do to cut down on stuff.  I actually began this process prior to my first surgery, and have been more mercenary about it than I ever thought possible.  It feels good to unburden, and it's also kind of fun to find the hidden treasures.  At the end of the day, the goal is to have a house that brings us peace and joy. 
12. I have some financial goals which I'm going to keep private.  All that needs to be said is that they are carefully thought out with an eye to the future.  

The very good news is that this list feels very possible, especially as much of it builds on work that's already begun.  Life just gets better and better all of the time, but it takes work and a healthy dose of persistence and patience.  

So here's to a fantastic 2019.  

Let's make some dreams happen.