Well, you know...
I prefer goals. Goals, to me, imply moving forward toward something in a positive light. Resolutions just seem a little heavy and negative: this is something that's wrong with me that I'm going to try to fix. Who needs that? I certainly don't.
Anyway...I set just two goals last year. The first was to read 26 books, one every two weeks. The year before I read twice that many, so I thought 26 would be a breeze. I barely made it.
My other goal was to do a craft project each month. Forced leisure, if you will. I ended up completing just six projects. What happened? Mostly, I have this hangup about needing to have all my housework done before I take time to craft. I also have this thing about being on the Internet too often and for too long. Basically, I just didn't make crafting a priority, although I enjoy it very much when I do make time for it.
Taken as a pair, I failed rather miserably at the goals I set last year. So, this year I think I'll add even more. Seems like backwards logic, but I tend to work better under pressure.
Reading: I truly LOVE reading and will do it with or without a goal. However, I enjoy tracking what I read on Goodreads, so I'll give it a number. Instead of one every two weeks for a total of 26, this year I'll say three every two months for a total of 18.
In addition, I have a year's worth of Mother Earth News and Hobby Farm Home magazines that I didn't make time to read when the issues arrived. There's good stuff in those magazines, and I'm finally gonna read 'em, by golly!
Crafting: I've been using our RV as a sewing/crafting studio, which is working well. I like being able to leave my project out when I'm done for the day without fear of spilled food or crazy cats ruining it. I'll stick with one project each month for a total of 12. I'll go one further with this and get down to specifics. One of the projects I want to complete is a pair of hand-knitted socks. I also want to try my hand at quilting something, even if it's just a small table runner. Wish me luck!
Gardening: We've been flying by the seat of our pants long enough -- organization is the goal this year. I purchased the downloadable garden planner and journal from Northwest Edible Life and I'm gonna get this thing squared away. If you haven't seen this planner, take a look. One affordable download lets you print a well-designed, fully customizable garden planner for the rest of your life! That's a bargain at any price. This goal isn't quantifiable, but I WILL get my garden plans in order this year.
Nutrition/Diet: We're working toward a SOLE food diet around here, and I believe the best way to change my families eating habits is to make changes gradually. When we eat at home, we eat pork and fish from within 100 miles. We consume eggs, honey, raw milk, and venison, all from within our county. We grow a lot of our own veggies and berries in our backyard. We eat what we believe are the good fats (butter, olive oil, coconut oil, lard) and I bake mostly with whole wheat flour that I grind myself.
Sugar is still an issue for us; this year I want to get us completely switched over to the "good" (which really only means "less bad") sweeteners. I want to find a source for local, free-range chicken, and I'd also like for even more of the foods we eat to come from our own backyard, which also ties in with our gardening goals.
Fitness: Exercise and I have long history of not getting along. In general, unless exercise can help me get something else done - like hanging laundry or planting potatoes - I don't want anything to do with it. This month, though, I'm going to try something new; I'll be joining a Beginners' Yoga class in a setting I think I will enjoy. My goal is more flexibility, better balance, and better health over all.
Finances: I sure would like to pay off our RV this year. I'm not sure if that can happen or not, especially now that we must update the wiring in our home, but it's a goal well worth effort.
In addition, there are those other goals -- to be a better parent, to get more exercise, to laugh more, to be more kind, to learn more, to enjoy life more fully -- but I hope all of us strive for those kinds of goal, all year round.
Now it's your turn. Do you have any goals or resolutions this year? Share them (or link back to your blog post) in the comments.
