Resolutions and Ramblings

Everyone always resolves to make this year a better one. I’m no different I suppose. I’ve already started the new year with a bang. I watched the ball drop, stayed up to read, and started the year with a stomachache at 2:50 a.m.

While the rest of the family drifted off to bed (hubby at 10:00 p.m. [we joke that he’s 80 instead of 60], my boys at 2:00 something and 3:00 something), I had to stay up until things settled. I took my 6:00 a.m. blood pressure pill at 5:00 a.m. and went to bed at 5:30. Sad, huh? Still I had a nice, warm, sleeping hubby to cuddle up with. Beats the cold bed I have most nights.

I was up at 8:30 to feed the cat, back to bed, then up for good at 11:36 a.m. today, and I’ve already argued with my youngest son over the trash. Yay, 2018! Off to a great start here.

Still it could be worse. Alive and breathing, right? My oldest son is out shoveling and clearing the cars so we can go visit my mother in law. At least that’s one thing I don’t have to do anymore (shoveling). Wait. Maybe diverticulitis has a positive side after all. I just have to look for the silver lining.

As for New Years resolutions, I’m not sure I made any for 2017. I usually just hope for the best. I probably resolved to sleep more, swear less, be nicer to others, and lose weight. Pretty standard fare. The only one I managed was losing weight, and the diverticulitis diet is not one I’d recommend.

For 2018 I’ll resolve to eat better. A tender tummy demands that. I’ll also resolve to move more. A dear co-worker has already said he’ll get me out walking with him at lunchtime this year. Even if we only go occasionally it’s better than what I do now. I will try to be nicer to those I love or care for. That’s a good resolution. I can’t abide most other people so I’ll resolve to just ignore them more. Less lashing out with comments under my breath or actual middle fingers in the air. I can be an adult, right?

2018 has to be better because 2017 sucked so badly. My oldest son kept asking me last evening if it had really been that bad of a year. Yes, for me, personally, the year was awful. Car accident and health decline. Those last six months of belly upheaval really overshadowed any good that might’ve been there.

2017 is gone. 2017 is done. And here’s the brave and happy face I’ll put forth in 2018.

Happy New Year, everyone.

Happy, Happy

Happy New Year, all! As we kick off a new year with new hopes, dreams and plans, everyone looks to resolutions of what they will do differently with this clean slate of a year. Many look back to the old year and think of all the bad things that have happened and feel grateful to have made it through and happy that the old (bad) year has gone.

2014 was a good year for this family. My son found a new job, and he bought his first car. There was a new car for me as well (actually mine came first, and that gave my son the courage and desire to try to get one of his own). I graduated from college with honors, after waiting thirty-seven years to wear a cap and gown again. In sum total, 2014 was more good than bad.

What will 2015 bring? It’s hard to say, but I do have a few resolutions.

Lose weight. I know everyone says this on January 1^st, but I really do need to make this a priority in my life. I am heavier than I have ever been, and at my age carrying extra weight makes all those aches and pains worse than they should be.
Exercise on a daily basis. Even if it’s just a gentle walk at lunchtime or a few minutes spent pedaling my stationery bike, I need to do this at least 30 minutes per day. Getting started is the hardest part. I have arthritic knees, and the left one was injured when I fell down the stairs several years ago. The extra weight and lack of activity makes this joint stiff and sore. Moving more keeps it flexible. Exercise also reduces stress which brings me to my next resolution.
Reduce stress. I have taken on extra responsibilities at work. I find that the work day flies past now. There is little time to stop and think, and all of this adds to my stress level. My hairdresser observed that my hair is getting thinner on top, and her first comment was that I needed to reduce my stress level.
Take time out for myself. This resolution ties into resolutions 1 through 3. I need to make ME more of a concern and put me first once in a while. I spend most of my time worrying about others and their needs. If I don’t take the time to care for myself, I won’t be here to care about others. That’s the pure, honest truth of it.
Don’t sweat the small stuff, and yes, this concerns schoolwork and homework. Do what I can do on a daily basis, and let the rest of it go. I usually do well no matter what, and I need to remember that. It’s not necessary to twist myself up over what I can’t get to. It will get finished, and sometimes “good enough” is enough. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece every time.
Read something every day. I enjoy reading, and not being able to get to it makes me feel like I am missing out. I need to fit it in wherever I can even if it’s just 30 minutes while pedaling my bike or 10 minutes at bedtime before I turn out the light. I also need to read what really interests me or grabs my attention right off the bat and not waste time on awful books. A recent book club selection is a prime example. I made it to page 135 and tossed in the towel. It’s okay to do that. I have so many books on my “to be read” pile, and I have hundreds of books I’ve started but didn’t like, and I keep thinking “everyone loved that – I should, too”. I need to forget about that and give the ones I didn’t like away.
Blog on a more regular basis. I’m on school break at the moment, and I’ve resurrected both my cats’ blog and the squirrel blog. I am also blogging here on a daily basis. I love writing. No, it’s not all first class material, but who cares? I love doing it. How can I not do something that I love? When schoolwork or the daily grind takes this away from me, I miss it!

Okay, I believe seven is enough resolutions for one year. Maybe seven will prove to be my lucky number. Perhaps I should set a reminder for yearend this year to look back at this list and see how I did with the seven items I’ve listed. I’d like to make all of them a reality, but we all know what happens to the best of intentions.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Images courtesy of Pinterest

New Year’s Eve

Another New Year’s Eve, or to quote Dan Fogelberg, “Another Auld Lang Syne” (which basically translates to “for old times’ sake”), and it’s time for a retrospective. Most years we are glad to see the old year go, and we look forward to the new one in anticipation and hope that things will be better or at least better than they were in the current year.

We usually look back at the pros and cons, weighing the good and the bad, trying to gauge if this year was a good year or a bad year. I always thought that was a little silly. Life (and the year) is what you make of it. We’ve had some years that weren’t so hot, but then so has everyone else. That’s life. Life is full of challenges and its ups and downs. Something I read years ago stuck with me. It’s not supposed to be perfect here on Earth. This isn’t Heaven.

That being said, 2013 wasn’t a “bad” year. Other than the usual struggling to get by (and who isn’t?), there was only one incident that I wouldn’t care to repeat. My older son lost his job through a layoff, but then he didn’t care for the job all that much and every experience is a learning experience. Now he knows better what to look for in a job.

The good outweighs the bad this year. I paid off my car in June, and that’s an extra $400 each month. I finished my degree in December, and that’s a wonderful feeling to end the year on. 2013 also brought me blogging. I started blogging in 2012, but I didn’t join WordPress until May, 2013. Before that I blogged into the vacuum that was Blogger and never received any feedback one way or another (other than from really close friends or family) as to whether or not anyone liked what I wrote. Since joining WP, I have found friends and a purpose.

I write because I enjoy it. It’s not always profound or funny, and I try not to be controversial (I’ll leave that to hubby and his political blogging). I don’t like arguing with people. I’m non-confrontational, and I run away rather than fight. If I logged in every day to argue with people, I’d be a wreck. I try to share bits and pieces of my life – photographs, musings, poems or rhymes. I also enjoy the interaction with my fellow bloggers. You make me smile, laugh, sigh, think and sometimes cry. I share what I think is cute, interesting, funny or beautiful, and I look for the same from others. It’s nothing more profound than that, but it’s a big part of my daily routine.

You are a large part of the “good” that 2013 brought me – this online community of wonderful people that I share some common interests with. Happy New Year, everyone, and thank you for being part of my life and daily routine.