you discussed me

call it off

make it true

make it so

i don’t

cry foul

go to work

tell lies

die alone

suffer company

suffer boredom

break down

get sick

get well

end well

it all ends

well

at least

it all ends

Resolutions

So here I am writing, after not being here writing for quite some time (which is evidence of a broken past resolution in itself… but one I considered heartily before breaking and broke for, I would argue, well informed and justified reasons [see this post if you don’t believe me]), and here I am writing about resolutions, which I used to keep like money in my pocket, but now don’t keep very well anymore (if 2011 is any example): I broke my “blog once/week” reso; and I also broke my “yoga once/week” reso—though for different, less justified reasons (primarily laziness).

I’ve kept the “no eating at McDonald’s” and “no shopping at Walmart” resos (though I did use Walmart’s photofinishing services one time… eep). And I’ve pretty well kept the “no new clothes, thrift only” reso (with the exception of some items, mostly purchased while on trips to the states, which I kind of see as outside the purview of this reso anyway).

I can’t remember other resos that I set (broken or kept) for 2011; the above were the mainstays.

Looking back over some of my blog posts for 2011 (which I abandoned when, mid-September? Earlier in the summer? No: Sept 5 (confirmed—see above link—which isn’t really that long ago… I almost kept that reso!), I can see that 2011 was a year of ups and downs… well 2010-2011 (say, August-March) was a tumultuous time, with me complaining about work and work and work. But then I got my current job, and though the complaining didn’t end completely, as things lined up more and more in my favour, my complaining did ebb. And now, aside from the commute (and potential shake-ups in the future [like 12 months from now-ish], and my confusion regarding my work’s mat leave allowances for contract employees [yes that bizness is still on my mind]), things are grand. Epically grand. Wonderful. Seriously. Honestly and truly.And actually, since that awesomeness started in April, 2011 was actually pretty great!

So now considering my 2011 posts, with the goal of planning my 2012 resolutions, I feel like I have a very open-ended place from which to start my list. The past several months have been so wonderful that it makes for a harder place from which to resolve (feel free to hate me for my bald love and gratuitous mentions of my recent luck and happiness).

So maybe I will set/continue some resolutions, but then also add some goals (my friend Laura suggested I try this… and I am intrigued). Resolutions as things I need to work hard to change/maintain; goals as things I need to strive to accomplish (is there a distinction there? I think so).

So I think I’ll stick w/ the no McD’s and WalM resos (even though they’re just part of me now). No, they’re off the list, because they’re just part of me now. Done. Resolved (see what I did there—blammo!).

Thrift clothes over new will stick, and I will not feel guilty if I bend this every now and then; merely having it on the list curbs my purchasing of new clothing items to a huge extent, so that’s enough!

Maintain a wii fit fitness routine. So far so good (as of Dec. 22, I’ve done so every day I’ve been home). I am not going to put any further bounds on this, as I think being flexible, even/especially in terms of thinking about it, will help me keep it up. (Mike’s doing it too, which also ups the “likely to keep it” anti.) And honestly, so far I haven’t been thinking of it as a chore, and it’s working (being off from work is surely helping this, but I’m optimistic I will keep it up).

Write more poetry/journaling. This, I think, will be my third and final reso. And it’s one I struggle to add and may decide to remove. I feel like I should write more, because I used to write more, not because I want to write more. On the other hand, writing more makes me want to write more, and then I write more. Duh. And I like what I write. And I like to re-read it eons later. So, yes, maybe I will do this. But again, flexibly and without timeline boundaries, so there’s no failure — but there’s also no churning it out just to churn it out. (And I must say, I’m enjoying blogging, so it’s possible doing more of this will help in the maintaining of this reso).

Now, onto the goals. I haven’t really thought much about these, and I’m eager to end this post and get on to the things that need to get done today (cooking! wii-ing! packing! barrie-ing!), so bear with me. And don’t expect much in the way of description/explanation. But I think most of what I’m about to brainstorm and list will congeal around a familiar theme (babies!):

Find and move to a new and bigger place (though one that’s hopefully not too much more expensive). If I (we!) can accomplish this before the end of 2012 (ideally in the late fall of 2012), we will have laid all the groundwork necessary for being ready to start (you know what). This past fall we got our family sedan and if I confirm my (fingers crossed available [but the more I think of it this morning, the more I wonder if that’s likely]) mat leave allowances, we are more than golden.

That’s kind of it. (I told you I hadn’t really thought about these!) Otherwise I’m pretty happy with how I’ve been living my life, the accomplishments I’ve achieved, and the direction I’m headed. And if it ain’t broke…