2023 was a sucky year.
I try to be up-beat about things, but it just was. 2023 sucked. In every life there are going to be streaks of horrible luck, that was this last year. We were in a car accident, work was crazy, and we've been battling identity theft since April. (And that's really just mentioning the major stuff) It was a tough year and a lot of things fell to the wayside by necessity. This feels like a good year to pull things back together, so a lot of my goals don't seem very ambitious but they'll move us in the correct direction.
I really want 2024 to be a year of renewal where things feel more on track.
1. 100 books - I managed 91 books in 2023 and now that I have a handle on how grad school impacts things, 100 is probably a reasonable goal. I can actually probably manage more, but my focus needs to be elsewhere.
2. Professional reading - I hate pedogogy books, but being back in school has definitely exposed me to professional reading I might actually find interesting. So outside of class-reading, I'd like to read 10 books specifically for my teaching.
3. Journaling - I really should be journaling every day and I'd like to work towards that, but a good first step is going back to my book summary/reviews. It might be only for me but it really does help me remember titles better. I'll start with some of my books from the end of December.
4. One walk or hike per day - Ideally, I'd be able to hike for an hour or so every day, but that's just no feasible. A short walk is though. One way or another, a walk is possible every day and I should be getting out and moving. I'd like to do at least one family hike each month at a minimum although obviously more during our large breaks.
5. Log 2 hours a week cleaning - we've had a clutter explosion...again. It's not that bad really and 20 minutes a day, every day would probably take care of it. But it will take some consistency.
6. Food Pantry - this one is a Thomas thing but we've been trying to fill a box for the local food pantry each month and getting it in. We are good at collecting the food, but not so good at getting the box in to one of the pantries on a regular basis. Once a month seems reasonable.
7. Exploring Food - I have a ton of cookbooks and I live in a city with a diverse food culture. I want to try at least 1 new recipe or 1 new restaurant each week. Otherwise, I cook the same dishes and we get the same takeout - boring ruts-ville. There's so much other there to try and to introduce Thomas too. :-)
8. 1 board game a week - This was a goal last year and it fell by the wayside which is really too bad. When we were doing it, it was actually quite a lot of fun.
9. Thomas time - I really want to spend more off screen time with my son. It can be reading together or playing a game or doing a puzzle....anything really.... but I want at least 10 minutes of good Thomas time every day.
10. Something just for me - I need to start treating myself a bit better. I get so caught up in all the things that have to happen, that I don't do things that make me feel good. So every week I need to do something just for me. It doesn't have to be a big deal. It can be painting my nails or buying a new pretty shirt, but something...each week. (however, it can't be reading a book or playing video game.... that's mindless escapism on some level)
