2013 Resolutions

Some people don't make them.  I do.  The start of the year is as good a time as any to declare intentions for improvement.  That doesn't mean we can't revise and newly resolve throughout the year.  It just means we take the tradition of the date to think about what we'd like to accomplish--how we'd like to change.

A few years (well maybe a dozen years, I'm not sure) ago, I heard Oprah say, "Change your life."  I took that advice to heart.  And item by item I began making some significant changes in my life.  Some of the changes during that time just happened to me without my control.  Not that I feel like a victim, but just that I acknowledge we can't control all things that happen to us.  But my life has changed, indeed, through my own thought, goals, and efforts.  A great deal of the change has been in my living space and property.  Some has been in my activities and hobbies.  Some has been in my viewpoint.  All was accomplished by identifying specific things I wanted to do or become.  As ideas solidified, plans evolved, and little by little, change took place.

So it is with positive hopefulness that I set out some new goals for 2013.

1.  Put myself on the list.  One of the things Oprah told us was, while changing our lives, to put ourselves on the list.  This means don't neglect our own health and well-being in the pursuit of other goals.  I'm a great list maker--literally--and I've often thought of this advice as I've written a daily, weekly, or long-term goal list.  And I have failed to put myself on the list.  It seemed I always ran out of time, and the one thing I could ignore was my own needs.  But no more.  As I enter retirement, I wish to nurture and care for the person that is me: body, mind, and spirit.  Therefore, my number one resolution this year is to care for my own needs better than I have done in the past.  Not only am I on the list, I'm the first item.

2.  The "Grand Reorganization".  Having completed most of the remodeling in my house, and most of the decluttering, I find the need to pull everything out of drawers, closets, and shelves, and do a deliberate reorganization that gets everything finally in its rightful place.  I'm excited to start this because at last I have the space to do this right.  I plan to tackle this in a systematic way right after I retire on January 4th.  Well, after a few days of pure relaxation, that is.

3.  The "Upstairs Doors and Floors" project.  The final changes to my house will be in the upstairs where I want to replace all the old brown hollow doors, with white doors to match the downstairs.  And then I will decide what to do about the teal carpet that covers living room, dining room, hall, and stairs:  Replace with new carpet, replace with wood/laminate, or just keep it and maintain as best I can.  I'll weigh the options and costs/benefits when the time comes and will decide.  There will be other minor projects from here on out.  And, of course, maintenance issues that always come up with a house. But the house is really to the point that I can fully enjoy it and care for it myself.  And be able to sell it eventually without significant further investment.

I see a simple and quiet year ahead.  I know there will be bumps in the road.  There always are.  I will deal with those when they come and will try to worry less and not anticipate trouble.

Happy New Year to us all.  Life is changing, and I love it!