It’s the end of 2014, a year of adventure, challenge and joy.
In my twenties, I was all about seasonal goals. Each season would have different focuses. In my thirties and most of my forties, I drifted. My resolutions tended to be things like ‘giving up smoking.‘ And I’ve never been a smoker. I liked the joke and the ease of that accomplishment. As I get older, I’m much more about planning for the year ahead. And planning for my future. I still focus on the fun in life but I’ve become aware that fun doesn’t have to be a celebration of excess… too much eating, too much drinking, too much spending. The joy can be found in the doing or not doing. I don’t have to work all the time. And I don’t have to go out all the time. The peace is in the stillness of life and there’s joy in that too.
I broke up my 2014 resolutions into six categories.
FINANCIAL: Although I’m proud that I boosted up my philanthropic giving this year, I don’t like that I have a balance on my credit card. My plan was to enter 2015 with no debt except for my mortgage and to increase my bi-monthly contribution into my 403 (B). I ended up with unexpected expenses in other categories which thwarted my original plan. But I’m happy about those additions in my life. I’ll continue to focus on reining in the spending and saving the surplus… money and energy.
SPIRITUAL: I usually pray daily and chant wishes of peace and joy to loved ones. I got out of the practice of daily sun salutations on my two week summer vacation. I also wanted to pursue community worship 2 times a month. I’ve failed. I practice a mind-body-spirit philosophy. I need to increase my spiritual efforts to keep my life in sync.
CREATIVE: I merged my 500 DAYS TO 50 and THE FOURTH WALSH into one site. The process was grueling but I’m happy with the outcome. I end the year with 375 posts: 225 personal musings and 150 theatre reviews. And the Roaring 20s Book Club read 7 classics.
TRAVEL: Ah, here’s where the budget went 😉 I DID travel in 2014. I went to Myrtle Beach twice, Las Vegas, and Dallas. And in international terms, I went to England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. And I had a marvelous time! Even though my very generous sister Jenny was my benefactor on the majority of these outings, there are always additional expense in traveling. And I like to thoroughly enjoy myself.
HEALTH: I added major things to my fitness regimen. I’m still doing yoga 2-3 times a week. And since June, I’ve been working out with Josh. Between vacations, his unexpected knee surgery, and different schedules, we had a slow start. Since November, we’ve been training 3 times a week and I’m feeling more fit and healthy. Since I was in Myrtle Beach, I hadn’t worked out in over a week. Josh got me right back on the fitness kick this morning. I felt rigid going in and amazing coming out. Since our sessions began, Josh also has me doing twenty minutes on the treadmill daily, alternating sprints and hills. Plus, I joined the FitBit craze in the UK this summer. I’m all about moving.
CAREER: I did update Linked-In. And I know the site is a necessary evil. I just don’t find it easy to navigate and don’t like to spend any time there. I want to start pursuing a new career path for the next phase of my life. I had the intention of one network meal or outing monthly and that just didn’t happen. I really like my job and there is both security and challenges. Still, I’m positioning myself for my next professional adventure.
Thank you 2014! It was fun while you lasted. I’ll toast you one more time tonight and then I’m on to something new.