It’s the end of the month. To keep on my 2015 goals, I’m going to evaluate them monthly. I don’t want to get to Fall and have to cram for the final quarter.
FINANCE: B
In this relentless winter, it’s easy to stay home. And I’ve been trying to do just that at least one night a week. I work to keep one night completely devoid of a play or dinner with friends. I opt to come home instead of trying to get something going on. Not only does my body and soul need downtime, it saves money. I’ve been preparing more and more meals at home for health and the ripple effect is saving a few bucks. Dining out adds up. Even at cheap places, it’s $10-$20 a pop plus tip. And if I have a glass or two of wine, that’s $10-$30 on top of the meal. Yowza! So, a significant achievement in finance is not eating out as much.
And in this past month, I haven’t taken any money out of my savings account. On payday, I have automatic deposits into my checking, my savings and my 403(B). My savings deposit isn’t huge bucks but like the money I spend so freely, it all adds up. And my savings acts as my safety net because it’s accessible if I get in a bind. So to say I haven’t taken out any money is a biggie. I didn’t put any more money in than what went in directly but I came in under budget overall. That’s cool.
I also made a donation to a theatre company and looked in to how to use mileage to purchase tickets for my trip this summer. I feel like such the grown-up.
HEALTH: A
I rocked this goal! I have been cooking up a storm with my Gourmet Nutrition cookbook. I’ve made two different kinds of bars for breakfast food. A bar with coffee is a nice start to the day. The one bar recipe turned out too dry and bland. So, I made them again and added in cranberries and dates. It added a little panache. They are made with walnut meal instead of flour. Who knew?? I’m also learning different ways to cook chicken. And I’ve mastered a real easy go-to recipe with portbello mushrooms, salsa, pinenuts and parmesan cheese.
I end the month having worked out with Josh 11 times, yoga 9 times, and 24 treadmill sessions. And I walked 291,527 steps (not counting today’s) or 10,797 steps daily average. Today, I’m experiencing a heightened sense of my muscles. I don’t like to say “I’m sore” but I feel like I’m wearing sleeves of armor this morning. Yesterday’s workout with Josh was our first day using weights. And he used the session to test my current level. It was tough but I was ready for it.
I’ve spent my life looking for signs. I like to know I’m on the right path. So, I shouldn’t be surprised on Wednesday that I saw a sign, this sign actually. Apparently, my building has a weight room. Josh has been rigging my strength training from bands, balls and his ingenuity. In some exercises, he has even served as a piece of equipment. He made me and my fitness room work. And I’ve been progressing and preparing for the next level. Cue this mysterious sign that just appeared in the fitness room. Booga-booga!
The only bad thing this month is four weeks of a cold. I don’t feel horrific but my nose is running a lot. And from all the mucus, my throat is affected and I have a cough. Again, nothing bad enough to call in sick. It’s just lingering and annoying. I googled ‘cold that won’t go away.‘ I found this article. I’m focusing on the first two, sleep and fluids. I haven’t gotten enough of either. Since my natural rhythm is to wake up with the day, I need to go to bed earlier to get additional sleep. I had too many late nights in February. ‘Late nights’ defined as in bed after 11. Definitions change as you get older. 😉 And fluids! I’m awful at water consumption in winter. It’s freezing out. I don’t like to drink anything unless it’s tepid to hot in the winter. So, to move this cold on according to this article, I’ve been drowning myself in hot tea. I’m hoping to be cold-free in March, both the ailment and the weather.
CREATIVITY: A-
After today, I will have seen and reviewed 15 plays this month. I’m working on the promise I made to myself, limiting my plays to a reasonable no more than 4 a week. This is my second month of coming in under the 16/month goal. And I feel I’m making progress in separating myself from the guilt of ‘letting a theatre company down’.
It’s hard to step out of your routine aka obsession and logically analyze it. What is the point in trying to ‘do it all’? My medium told me earlier this month that my nature is to fixate on someone or something to the detriment of my own life. I think I’m being noble but I’m really being an enabler. I feel like this applies to my theatre fetish. I love theatre but my choices have to be quality over quantity. I have to balance out my life. I need to ensure I’m living my life optimally. I love this line from a song, “am i running my life or is my life running me?” Hmmmmm
And besides the reviewing, I’ve written 8 personal musings. As far as the daily creative writing; reviews and muses, I’ve written 23 out of 28 days. Not great but honestly any additional musings would have been my frustration over this cold. And who wants to read my ongoing rant about that?
And on the flip side of my creative goal, I saw most of the Oscar nominated movies. February is my movie month because these are the best of the best. These aren’t the thriller or rom-com blockbuster mindless dazzlers. They are thought-provoking, artistic expressions. Even when I don’t care for the movie (“Foxcatcher”), I can appreciate the filmmaker’s vision, the acting and the writing.
SPIRITUALITY: C
I’m doing my daily chanting sending ‘peace and joy’ to loved ones and thanking God for this life I choose every day. Still, I want to connect with community worship somehow. Self-guided spirituality is narrow. I want to deepen my spirituality by learning from others’ practices. This is a carryover goal from 2014. And this write-up is the exact duplicate from last month. It’s Lent and it’s a perfect time to focus on God. March priority is to get to church!
CAREER: B+
After my spiritual reading last week, I have a new career focus: writing a book. Earlier in the month, I had been perusing freelance writing gigs in an effort to transition my career over to writing. Nothing appealed to me. There are plenty of opportunities to write on others’ topics but the problem is I want to write what I want to write. The book idea feels right. I’m noodling on the content and seeking input from my personal advisors. And I’ve begun researching possible publishers and the logistical process.
TRAVEL: N/A
I’ve gone nowhere! My goal is traveling to one new state and one new country this year. And I’m percolating on ideas on how to actualize and double that.
ROMANCE: D
Even though I didn’t actively pursue romance this past month, I did put the love out there on Valentine’s Day. I’ve been also chatting with other single gals about their own dating experiences. I’m wading in.