December 31, 2019 – New Year’s Resolutions – 2020
It
is that time of year again when we think about making changes and I’ve given
the New Year’s Resolutions many thoughts in the last few days and actually last
few months.
I’ve
asked myself questions like:
Do I need all this stuff?
What do I really want?
There are needs and wants and then there
is
status quo, simply taking
care of what is the
core needs of your life.
There is clutter and there is excess –
decide what to keep and what to
jettison.
It is a new year, a new slate –
what do I
want to accomplish?
What did I accomplish last year that
I can
build on?
I
imagine you have pondered many of the same things, or maybe about your health,
or your career, or your stock portfolio.
Me, I am the simple one now that I am retired.
What
will make my life easier? Well, last
year I worked on my gardens –out went the shrubs that required constant attention
and cutting. The front yard now looks
sleeker, neater, and cleaner.
Also,
last year, I took the idea of my dream driveway – vehicular traffic quality
pavers and accomplished it. I had two
18-wheeler truckloads of pavers delivered.
Darn, it was empowering to lay one brick at a time and I laid them all
by myself – little old me. It was great
exercise. And the creativity – the figuring
out how to accomplish jumping over the roots, and how to fit the work into my
day schedule. I am not completely done,
I would say 5% more to do.
My New
Year’s resolutions:
1.
Finish the paver driveway and include
a lovely path to the birdfeeders.
2.
Cut bulbs or flowers in along the
edges of the new gorgeous driveway.
3.
Celebrate the driveway with a
neighborhood party and invite everyone on the block – a way for all of us to
learn who our neighbors are.
4.
Drag those 6 ft. x 8 ft. green house
kits out of the shed and put them up this year – before the spring growing
season. Maybe even grow my own tomato plants from seed. That would be fun.
5.
Do smaller loads of laundry as I can
put a smaller load away quicker.
6.
Use the dishwasher more often – less hand
washing makes my nails look better.
7.
Realize that food is not my enemy, one
must eat – just choose something better for my health.
8.
Plan meals ahead. My big hurdle is breakfast. I don’t want to
mess up the kitchen making it so I grab something that isn’t healthy. I need to
plan ahead. This will be the year of the
Quiche – a slice each morning for breakfast – simple – make it ahead – takes care
of 5 or 6 days at a time. Then, I will
work on planned lunches and figure out what my husband wants to actually eat –
he is a fussy eater – just like me and two fussy eaters in the house – doesn’t
make for much solitude and creates too many leftovers.
9.
I’ve interior room painting this year –
make a plan and follow the plan.
10. Figure out a “retirement” wardrobe to
run to the grocery store. Upgrade my
gardening wardrobe to be more comfortable.
11. Invest in a portable sound system so
that I can hear classical music out in the gardens.
12. Watch more sunrises with Jasmine my
cat.
13. Watch more sunsets with my husband.
14. Admire my own work product.
15. Be nice to me, be nice to everyone
else, and simply be me for a change.
16. Write more. Essays, stories, novels
and personal letters.
17. End every blog with an UP Beat
quotation.
This morning I listened to an expert on making
resolutions and one thing he said: Go
big! Go for whole health, not just losing 5 pounds. The bigger the plan, the
more you will accomplish.
It
sure sounds like I will be attempting many things. This way I will probably
accomplish more this year.
Think
of yourself on the threshold
of
unparalleled success.
A
whole, clear, glorious life lies before you.
Achieve!
Achieve!
–
Andrew Carnegie
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