Today is the last day of 2012, which means that everyone is examining the past year and planning the coming year. My friend, Cathy, did a series of blog posts in December designed to help readers figure out their goals. Her suggestions are realistic and very accessible. You even get to make lists, rate things, draw circles, etc. I’ll probably be referring to her blog when I’m setting up my various calendars for the coming year – yes, calendars, plural.
Exploring Your Depths – Goals I
Cathy and I are both organizing nerds. We get excited by hot Italians highlighters and file folders. We like to plan things out and have some sort of structure to our daily lives. Even so, Cathy’s taking a break from planning in January because she’s a bit burned out from all of the holiday planning she’s done lately. The great thing about Cathy is that she can plan and organize, but she can also roll with the punches. I admire that she can take a break from her planning when she feels like she needs it. I plan to take a break from cookies in January because I feel like I need it.
As for my plural calendars, I took a break from multiple things in life over the past 2-3 years. I slowly fell out of many of the good habits that I had. Last year was especially difficult because I started the year with a new job, finishing up my bachelor’s degree (it only took me 15 years!), and feeling hopeful about the coming year. Sometime around the summer, my summer migraines set in, my eczema flared the hell up all over my face, and my knee still wasn’t working correctly from the jogging injury a year and a half earlier. All the hope I had at the beginning of the year began sneaking out the front door. Then my mom, step-mom, dad, and best friend all had surgery within the span of a month. At that point, I just gave up. I began waking up to go to work, coming home to overeat, and then going to bed until I had to go to work again.
For Thanksgiving, some friends and I visited Cathy and her sister. It was a great trip with plenty of serious discussions as well as ridiculous conversations that led to the creation of Debediah. The trip completely rejuvenated me and inspired me to finally get going on this blog and get back into the routines that keep me healthy, happy, and sane…ish. This is where the plural calendars come in – they remind me of my routines, progress, and non-routine items. I use them to remind me when to pay bills (I only autopay certain bills because convenience charges are BS), track my health, and track projects. Thanks to Cathy, I even have a calendar of hot Italians cute animals that makes me feel good every time I see it.
So here’s to 2013, may it be a great year for us all!
The Scarlet Loser 