I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions. I’m old enough to know what kind of person I am. I might wish to change certain things about myself, but I know I probably won’t. I’m OK with that.
But I do appreciate the symbolic significance of the year’s beginning, and there are some simple changes I could make that would improve my life. It would be foolish not to at least ponder how to make my life better. So, here is a list of changes I might consider making.
This year, I’d like to…
- Hike more often. It’s too bad that I only feel compelled to hike when there’s snow falling and/or on the ground. I should get out there more often, because the woods are beautiful in all seasons and all kinds of weather.
- Write every day. It makes me sad that I wrote so little for the blog and almost nothing outside of the blog. I should write something every day, even if it’s just a few words, as proof that I lived that day.
- Spend more quality time with the kids. We spend a lot of time in proximity to our kids without paying too much attention to them. We should do more crafts, read more books, play more games, and take more walks and trips together.
- Keep the house cleaner. Some parts of the house are beyond grubby. Ick. There’s definite room for improvement there.
- Find storage solutions to control our clutter. We had the kids’ room under control for part of 2014, and it was great. I’d like to get that control back. And I’d like to do the same for the rest of the house.
- Lose more weight. I lost a lot of weight in 2014, most of it unintentionally. I could probably maintain my weight at its current level, but I’d like to lose at least 10 more pounds. It would help minimize the effects of, and slow down the progression of, the arthritis in my knees.
- Keep up the knee exercises. I bought some ankle weights so I can continue to do the exercises that they taught me in physical therapy.
- Be a positive influence. The mother sets the mood for the family. If she’s not happy, the whole family struggles. It would help us all if I kept a more upbeat attitude, even if it were only a facade.