New Year, So Some Goals

There’s nothing more fun than a good bunch of goals, is there? DREAMS! PLANS! LISTS! I know I’ll never do everything I write on my lists or even half the things I think in my head, but that sure doesn’t dim my enjoyment of the process, or the trying. I’d been meaning to sit down and write some serious resolutions for the year for basically all of December, but somehow the holiday season has flown by, as it always does, and I thought it would be well into February before I made plans to adopt 12 children, write 7 books, cry more than twice a year, and other such preposterous-but-probably-good-for-me ideas.

Yet somehow, one morning, I woke up to a little list of resolutions, in my handwriting, on my bedside notepad. It’s really no wonder I don’t wake up feeling more rested, if this kind of thing is happening. I only recently restored the notepad to its bedside station – my old one filled up and I didn’t think much of it, but now who knows how many of my half-asleep insights I’ve missed! I told Carl about it and he asked, “So, what are your resolutions?” and I didn’t even know. I had to go get the pad and read them to find out.

I’m not creeped out at all.

(…don’t tell my mom, who has been concerned in the past about my schizophrenic tendencies. On the bright side, my alter personality seems to be more creative and goal-oriented than the unshowered, heavy-lidded me that’s here right now).

Here’s what she plans to do this year, which I fully support:

1) Wear an ill-fitting gown.

That’s right folks, this is the week I begin the last course in my ongoing and lengthy bid to complete my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, with a minor in Criminology. I hope and pray this will be the summer of the graduation. Although I’ve yet to figure out what I’ll do with my free time after it’s done. Maybe go back to school again? :)

2) Go to prison.

With that degree, I better get my law-abiding booty into a jail and meet these people I’ve been studying for so long, right? Time to start volunteering and figuring out where in the criminal psychology world I best fit. Because one day all my current entertainment will be in school all day and I might have to do something else with my time besides just go to school with them.

3 a) Be funnier.

This must come from my husband’s and aunt’s requests, and maybe some of you have been thinking it but not saying it :). Apparently I used to be funnier (on the blog, that is – I’m still hysterical in real life ;)). They want more stories, more laughs, at myself and/or others, and less food talk. I think I can do that. I like to laugh, and I don’t really like to talk about food, unless I have whatever I’m talking about in front of me for eating. This could work out very well.

3) b) Get more sleep.

This is inextricably, directly, unfortunately linked to a). Sleep deprivation affects the witty part of my brain first, followed shortly thereafter by the part that finds kids cleaning the toilet with Swiffer dusters amusing rather than just plain sad-making. My baby sleeps 12 hours a night so I can’t blame him  – I just need to step up my going-to-bed-on-time system and get child #3 to quit it with the night wanderings.

4) Menu plan

I love plans. I love food. Let’s put two and two together and everyone will eat better, and on time. Having a plan makes me enjoy cooking so much more, and saves valuable brain space used wondering what to make for dinner. It means I get to pull out a pretty notebook and a pen, which makes my heart happy, because seriously, stationary. If it was the only present I got for the rest of my life I would be happy with each and every new notebook or pad or writing paper. This will also mean more new recipes get tried and, if successful, shared! I’ve done this half-heartedly and sporadically for the past 3 years…it’s time to make it a standard part of my life.

5) Move somewhere walkable

So, our house is for sale. This means it’s super clean, highly organized, the kids are wondering what’s going on and the garage is overrun with chaos. We’re hoping to move somewhere where we can realistically walk to the library, the grocery store, the gym, the pool, work, the bus stop…or at least most of those, on a quiet street. Ideally the kids will be able to bike tons and we’ll all just spend a lot more time being active together.  Do we sound like a realtor’s nightmare? We are.

6) Read the Bible with the kids, every day.

My kids love the song that goes, “read your Bible, pray every day and you’ll grow, grow, grooooooow”. As we were singing it recently, Kristopher piped up, “But Mom, we don’t read the Bible every day. We pray and sing, but we don’t read the Bible”. From the mouths of babes, as they say. This year saw me finally get into a good personal devotion routine for the first time since having kids, and I met my goal of reading through the whole Bible, but that usually happens before the kids are up, after they’re in bed, or during quiet time. This year I’m getting my act together with a new children’s Bible and a new plan that isn’t just my old, “Their wee attention spans MUST adapt to my wishes.” We’ll see how it goes.

There are more…keep getting up early (related yet again to #3, you may notice a theme here), spend more time outside (but oh how I love the great indoors), starting painting again (finally use those canvases in my closet), be more compassionate, less judgemental, a better wife, better mother, better friend, better sister; more giving, more doing…the list can go on and on, which is exactly what I love about lists: they are never done. We are never done, as long as we live in this broken world. 

Happy 2015, everyone! May we strive to improve in the little things, build on small successes, brush off failures and try again, and walk the year hand-in-hand with the One who goes before us, gives us strength, and knows everything that’s coming our way.