Tag Archives: new year resolutions

New Year Resolutions: šŸ˜±

Posted on January 10, 2020 | 2 comments

I decided to do something different this year. I made resolutions I knew I had a small chance in hell of keeping.

I will wear rubber gloves in the kitchen. This is a worthy goal, as it would save my manicure and aging hands. Many times Iā€™ve vowed to do this, but then it seems like such a big deal to pull the gloves on.

I wonā€™t eat gluten anymore. I actually meant to do this, but then yesterday our neighbor brought over her famous sticky buns, still warm from the oven. They smelled divine and tasted even better. Channeling Scarlett Oā€™Hara, I said, ā€œIā€™ll become gluten free tomorrow!ā€

I wonā€™t look at Facebook right before I go to sleep. This is a really good idea because when I do, I can get so upset that I canā€™t sleep. So far no good.

I will keep track of where my phone is. Iā€™d really like this to happen but thank goodness I have an iWatch. Iā€™ve only had to ping for my phone five times since January 1.

 I will not rinse dishes or flatware before I put them in the dishwasher. My children assure me this is safe to doā€”they donā€™t understand why I wash everything so thoroughly before. I will try, but I just know the food will get baked on and Iā€™ll have a heck of a time getting it off later.

I will start using the calendar on my phone instead of using my hardcopy calendar. Sure I will.

I will not use as much hairspray. This is another thing the younger generation assures me that I donā€™t need. But these whippersnappers donā€™t have my fine hair. They donā€™t understand that hairspray is my first line of defense against losing any volume Iā€™ve managed to tease out.

I will not try to be perfect all the time. This includes not making my bed everyday. I donā€™t even know how I became a perfectionistā€”itā€™s not my basic personality. It would be perfect if I could make this resolution work.

I am not going to be as empathetic. You may be thinking this is a strange resolution, but I am so damn empathetic that itā€™s pathetic.  Iā€™m working on not experiencing other peopleā€™s pain. And Iā€™m not going to be as nice and polite!!!!

Finally, I am going to accept myself as I am today. This includes recognizing Iā€™m a 74-year-old grandmother. My hair is thin; my bodyā€™s thick. And if people ask me if I need help getting my groceries in the car, I wonā€™t be insulted. This actually happened to me towards the end of 2019. I laughed and said, ā€œNo, Iā€™m good. But in five years, I might take you up on it.ā€

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Posted in About Life in General, Aging with Grace, Babybooming

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Renewing My Vows

Posted on January 20, 2019 | 1 comment

The last time I wrote a blog for A Corner of my Mind was two months ago. A lot has happened since then, good and bad. A lot of it was crazy making stuff that took me away from my writing. Yesterday, amidst a lot of stuff going on (all good), I looked at this wrinkled scrap of paper I’d taped to my computer. It contained my New Year’s Resolutions from a couple of years ago. The last item was, Write a blog every two weeks.

I’d managed to do that pretty well until November. As I sat there yesterday, I vowed that I would get back to doing so ASAP. Nothing like the present to achieve that goal.

I’m not sure what sent me off the rails. True, I didn’t have the use of a computer around Thanksgiving. When I did, I was dealing with police detectives investigating our burglary, and with contractors who were rebuilding our home after our flood.

Then the fun stuff started with our grandson’s visit with three college friends to our condo in Hawaii. After the friends left, the whole rest of our family came for the Winter Holiday. We have three grandsons in college–a whole subset of culture. One night I cleared out my freezer by making every kind of junk food stored there–perfect college fare. Then we have two granddaughters. The seven-year-old adores her sixteen-year-old cousin!

I love watching my family interact–it’s a grandmother’s delight. I didn’t want to miss a moment of pool time hi-jinks or even just sitting around talking. We’re only together now for a short time, once a year, so forget writing.

But by the time they left on January 3rd, I’d gotten out of the habit of sitting in front of the computer and putting my thoughts on paper. I started doing things like making soup, watching football and ironing. Fortunately, I started teaching my memoir writing class on January 7. This got me back on track with a chapter in my own memoir. And I remembered the feeling of being in the zone that I can only get from writing.

So once again, I’m baaaccckkkk! Happy New Year!!!


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New Year, Not so New Resolutions

Posted on January 16, 2017 | Leave a comment

This is my new yearā€™s resolution blog. You might think itā€™s too late for it but itā€™s only January 15. 2017 is just two weeks old. Still a baby!

Anyway, one of my resolutions is to stop rushing around like a chicken with my head cut off. (You might think this is a clichĆ© but my husband actually got to see the phenomenon. In the old days of his Ancestors.com, a newly built home was blessed by cutting the head off a chicken. The vision of the chicken running around their yard featured in my husbandā€™s nightmares for years.)

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As for my resolutions:

I have resolved to stop multi-tasking and to slow down. We had dinner with friends last night and she asked me what Iā€™ve doing. ā€œSince weā€™re in Hawaii, are you sitting around and relaxing?ā€ she added.

I shook my head. ā€œYou know me. That just doesnā€™t happen. But, Iā€™m trying. As soon as I get caught up with everything, Iā€™m going to put relaxing into my day. Itā€™s one of my new yearā€™s resolutions.ā€ Itā€™s that I so rarely get caught up. Then something happens, either good or bad, and Iā€™m behind again. I didnā€™t think Iā€™d have this problem in my 70ā€™s. Still.

I find that every year I resolve pretty much the same thing. Writing that, it reminded me that two years ago I printed out my 2015 resolutions and taped them to my computer. I was supposed to look at them every day but then I forgot they were there until just now. Oh well, one of my resolutions this year is to give up trying to do everything right. That leads to perfectionism, which means youā€™re polishing things at midnight, be it silver or words. It also means thereā€™s constant judgment being aimed at my endeavors. Mother has been dead twenty years but she still is holding up the signs and thereā€™s never been a 10. So time to get over it!

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Now, Iā€™m looking at my list on the computer, and I like it. I havenā€™t accomplished any of the items, but they still seem like worthy goals. They arenā€™t global but more about me taking care of me. As a Grandiose Co-Dependent, Iā€™m good at taking care of others, especially in the way I see fit. Taking care of me can go sideways.

No more procrastinating: here goes:

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  1. Be happy with myself at my age.
  2. Stretch after my walk.
  3. Eat Healthy.
  4. Do one thing at a time. Finish it.
  5. Think the thought that makes me feel good. Work on reducing anxiety.
  1. Write a blog every two weeks. Write every day.

 

All of this should keep me busy. I told myself just the other day, ā€œYou better learn to be happy with your age, or youā€™re going to be constantly depressed. Stop looking at your arm and wanting it to be firmly muscled. Ainā€™t happening. Be happy if it is has a muscle at all.ā€

Which reminds meā€”this getting older is not so much fun sometimes. Keeping healthy is more than a full time job. Cancer knocks on your door and comes in uninvited. Strokes and heart attacks and dementia are only a Plavix away. Friends and relatives are getting really sick or dying. I finally get it when people say, ā€œThis is not a dress rehearsal.ā€

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So, I guess my main resolution is that Iā€™m going to do less and enjoy it more. (Okay, friends and relatives, stop snorting.)

 

 

 

 

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New Year Resolution Assessment

Posted on July 2, 2015 | Leave a comment

I thought that since half a year has gone by as well as my half birthday, I should assess how Iā€™ve done on my resolutions from January. Here they are:

  1. Be happy with myself at my age.
  2. Stretch after my walk.
  3. Eat healthy.
  4. Think the thought that makes me feel good not the negative or fearful one.
  5. Don’t be the Grandiose Co-Dependent.

These are not what I remember. They are well and good, but in my mind Iā€™d written:

  1. Write a blog twice a month.
  2. Work on the book.
  3. Do ten minutes or more of Rosetta Stone Spanish every day.
  4. Eat healthy.
  5. Stretch after my walk.
  6. Accept myself at my age.
  7. Take computer lessons.

Itā€™s amazing what is and what we think is. Here I was supposed to be happy with myself and I was only trying to be accepting of the wrinkles, flab, and aches. Then I was feeling guilty if I didnā€™t write a blog every other week. As for the Rosetta Stone, a whole week could go by and I couldnā€™t seem to find even one ten minute segment to practicar Spanish. One good thing is that Iā€™ve been working on my book lately with the help of an editor and mentor. Itā€™s like a physical workoutā€”I need a trainer or Iā€™m not showing up. The same goes for writing my bookā€”I now have Laura to keep me going.

To continue my analysis, I can count on the fingers of my right hand how many times I have stretched after my walk. That is sad because each time I do, my back, knee and foot feel so much better. Also when I go to my stretch class, I feel much better. Wait, can I count my stretch class? We even use the foam roller in there.

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And how about Pilates? Does that count? Those two classes keep me moving and I appreciate the instructors so much.

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I have tried harder to eat healthy but letā€™s face it, I will always drink Cokes and wine, and eat foods that do not enhance my body chemistry. Because, like the song says, ā€œIā€™m Only Humanā€. And I love to eat. And Iā€™m grateful I can. My sister-in-lawā€™s brother gets his only nourishment through a food tube to his stomach. If that were me, and I didnā€™t love my children and grandchildren so much, Iā€™d go the Kevorkian route.

I do think I made some headway on numbers 4 and 5 on the first list, without being conscious of it. I have caught myself a couple of times awfulizing or catastrophisizing and backed away from the dire thoughts. That is big for me. Last week I started going into a funk about how time is passing so quickly. My oldest grandchild is one year away from leaving home to go to college. How can it be? But, I caught myself in time and reminded myself to think thoughts that make me feel good. The melancholy dispersed much quicker. Finally, I am practicing to be less co-dependent. Iā€™m not as sweet and compliant as I used to be. I still have trouble saying NO, but I have done it at least twice.

My plan is to combine the actual list with the one in my head for my goal setting for the second half of 2015. Iā€™m primed for it anyway because Iā€™ve already taken two computer lessons. Might as well continue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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New Year Resolutions Update

Posted on February 7, 2015 | Leave a comment

I am writing this mainly because I resolved at the new yearĀ  to write a blog once a week. I haven’t written one because I am working on a memoir piece and have told myself that until it’s finished, all the other stuff on my mind must be put off. I thought I’d just report on how I’m doing on the resolutions for 2015.

I find that having them posted on my computer is very helpful. I read them once a week whether I plan to nor not. I am reinforcing what I proposed and it is helpful. I can report moderate success. I think when I finish my essay, I might expand on each item. Just for my own edification.

I am finding that life is moving much too quickly. I’m overwhelmed that it is already February 7. I want to shout out, “Slow down!” but who’d listen?

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Resolutions? Not such a Good Idea.

Posted on January 9, 2014 | Leave a comment

My nephew recently asked on Facebook if people had any New Year resolutions. I wrote back that for one, I wanted to lose five pounds. I also said thatā€™s always been one of my resolutions for the past 40 years. No matter what my weight is, I always want to lose five pounds. This says many things about me, none of which interest me at all. It was a joke anyway.

When I taught middle schoolers, Iā€™d have them write five goals at the beginning of the school year and at the beginning of the new semester. I had my own kids do it too. The list wasnā€™t buriedā€”it was accessible so you could glance at it every now and then. It was amazing how stating your intentions could make them come about.

I think goals shouldnā€™t be too lofty and they should be attainable. For example, ā€œI will eliminate the problem of garbageā€ just doesnā€™t work for me. ā€œI will have a recycle can in my kitchen and will recycle bottIes, cans, and paper,ā€ā€”now thatā€™s what Iā€™m talking about. Itā€™s a practical plan. Itā€™s what I can do to help change the world, one person at a time. ā€œI will lose five poundsā€ obviously doesnā€™t work for me, either. And at my age when you lose weight, your skin sags like crepe paper decorations kept up too long. Instead my goal is to eat healthily. ā€œI will eliminate as many processed foods from my diet as possible, including Oreos, Starbucks coffee cake and Hagen Das ice cream barsā€ is specific and should help me healthwise. (You notice nothing was stated about wine and Martinis.)

Iā€™m thinking of adopting or adapting Chef Angelaā€™s idea of a yearly bucket list. She already posted her 2014 Bucket List on Facebook. (Now, thatā€™s really putting yourself on the lineā€”other people will know if you donā€™t attain an item. I donā€™t have that courage.) A Bucket List sounds so much more positive than a New Yearā€™s Resolutions list. It’s a looking forward instead of back, and it can include dreams too.

One thing I have on my list I will share: ā€œEvery day, name five things I am grateful for.ā€ I have been doing this for many years now and itā€™s a life changer. Every night when I lay down my sleepy head, I name five things Iā€™m grateful for on that day. One night, the list included ā€œIā€™m grateful that the toilet only overflowed once.ā€ā€”it was that kind of day. But slowly, my attitude towards life changed. I stopped looking for what I didnā€™t have and became grateful for what I did. Iā€™m a much happier person.

One of the things Iā€™m grateful for is youā€”the people I connect with through the blog and through Facebook. You make me a much happier person too! Happy and Healthy New Year to each and everyone.

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