It is a gray Sunday afternoon and I have been curled up in our cozy leather chair devouring East of Eden by Steinbeck. My mind has been wandering the valley of Salinas, slipping through the retelling of Genesis as if it is all I ought to be thinking of, for forever. I have been consumed.
With the onset (27 days in is still consider "the onset", correct?) of the new year, I typically sit in a cocoon of self-reflection. I evaluate life, self, past, present, future and pray a lot. This typically produces an outpouring of questions--or conversations focused on the New Year and what it brings.
I begun early this year (or last year, if you will)---asking my friends over Christmas what their New Year's resolutions were. This foray was initiated out of curiosity--an interesting way to catapult conversation forward and glean a little taste of each other's heart.
I had jumped into these conversations with out my own question answered---what would be my resolution this year?
Now, I am of the mind that resolutions are not just for the start of each year. (I'm sure you've heard that before)...But honestly! It's true. If we were limited to goals being set only at the beginning of each year we would hold a ridiculously small perspective and be disappointed... defined by our chaotic holidays and gluttonous meals.
Instead, resolutions should be fluid---or perhaps, gelatinous. Firm--but flexible...ready to morph if needed.
Hence, the process behind my resolutions has been long-winded and arduous. They've shifted shape too many times to count. But seeing that they are about to be published on the internet, I believe I have finally reached my final list.
Yes, list. It takes more than one improvement to help me.
Here are my hopes and goals for this year:
1. To memorize more Scripture.
2. To be better at "playing".
3. To learn something new (and learn it well)
4. To write in cursive.
To memorize more Scripture is to guide my heart and to help me love others through the Gospel, more powerfully.
To be better at playing means for me to be better at playing around--joking--being comfortable in non-serious circumstances. I have found that the people who leave the most lasting positive impression on me are those who are good at playing, as well as, working. I want to grow in that.
To learn something new could be taking a few different shapes: 1) Red and I are learning Spanish via Rosetta Stone (Thanks Vane!!) 2) I am desperate to learn how to play the banjo and there is a folk music school close by that could make that a reality. 3) I want to take a class about indesign and/or web design.
To write in cursive just seems like a good idea. I admire nice penmanship. It makes me feel like a lady....and it is quicker, once you're good at it.
So, boom.
That's the list. 26 days behind schedule.
It has been a wonderful New Year. Red and I have changed life direction, visited dear friends in Nashville, eaten our weight in homemade corn bread, returned to the world of Downtown Abbey, and have been soaking up the blustery cold of the Mid-west.
(I may or may not have almost busted it walking down our icy front steps this morning as we headed to Sump for brunch... no worries, I have neither broken bone nor bruise to report.)
Though I'm sure you have already created your list of things to do for this year--I encourage you to continue considering where you are and where you want to be---there seems to always be room for change, no matter the space available.
Happy New Year!
With the onset (27 days in is still consider "the onset", correct?) of the new year, I typically sit in a cocoon of self-reflection. I evaluate life, self, past, present, future and pray a lot. This typically produces an outpouring of questions--or conversations focused on the New Year and what it brings.
I begun early this year (or last year, if you will)---asking my friends over Christmas what their New Year's resolutions were. This foray was initiated out of curiosity--an interesting way to catapult conversation forward and glean a little taste of each other's heart.
I had jumped into these conversations with out my own question answered---what would be my resolution this year?
Now, I am of the mind that resolutions are not just for the start of each year. (I'm sure you've heard that before)...But honestly! It's true. If we were limited to goals being set only at the beginning of each year we would hold a ridiculously small perspective and be disappointed... defined by our chaotic holidays and gluttonous meals.
Instead, resolutions should be fluid---or perhaps, gelatinous. Firm--but flexible...ready to morph if needed.
Hence, the process behind my resolutions has been long-winded and arduous. They've shifted shape too many times to count. But seeing that they are about to be published on the internet, I believe I have finally reached my final list.
Yes, list. It takes more than one improvement to help me.
Here are my hopes and goals for this year:
1. To memorize more Scripture.
2. To be better at "playing".
3. To learn something new (and learn it well)
4. To write in cursive.
To memorize more Scripture is to guide my heart and to help me love others through the Gospel, more powerfully.
To be better at playing means for me to be better at playing around--joking--being comfortable in non-serious circumstances. I have found that the people who leave the most lasting positive impression on me are those who are good at playing, as well as, working. I want to grow in that.
To learn something new could be taking a few different shapes: 1) Red and I are learning Spanish via Rosetta Stone (Thanks Vane!!) 2) I am desperate to learn how to play the banjo and there is a folk music school close by that could make that a reality. 3) I want to take a class about indesign and/or web design.
To write in cursive just seems like a good idea. I admire nice penmanship. It makes me feel like a lady....and it is quicker, once you're good at it.
So, boom.
That's the list. 26 days behind schedule.
It has been a wonderful New Year. Red and I have changed life direction, visited dear friends in Nashville, eaten our weight in homemade corn bread, returned to the world of Downtown Abbey, and have been soaking up the blustery cold of the Mid-west.
(I may or may not have almost busted it walking down our icy front steps this morning as we headed to Sump for brunch... no worries, I have neither broken bone nor bruise to report.)
Though I'm sure you have already created your list of things to do for this year--I encourage you to continue considering where you are and where you want to be---there seems to always be room for change, no matter the space available.
Happy New Year!
