Think back to New Year’s Eve 2019. We had no idea what this year held in store… Of course, we never know the future, but December 31, 2019 feels almost like another lifetime, doesn’t it?
Still, did you set any intentions for the year? I made a Not-20 for 2020 List, and thought I’d revisit it now that we are a solid six months into this strangest of years:
- Wake up on New Year’s Day in clean sheets – Nope, the cat peed on them while she hid from our house full of revelers.
- See Hamilton (tickets purchased for January 9!) – Done! And I can’t wait for the Disney+ original cast movie coming out July 3.
- Drink 4 Hydroflasks of water/day – Switched it out to 3 Nalgenes/day bc my Nalgene holds more water and it’s easier to remember: one before lunch, another before dinner, another before bed; and I’ve only missed a few days all year, my best habit yet.
- Greet my family every single time with a smile and full attention – This one’s hard, not measurable, and so still a work in progress.
- Eat dinner at the table – Nope. Even in a pandemic, our family has trouble eating together. We’re aiming for a few nights a week.
- Go to bed early and bring a book – Yes! See #12 – I finished Book #40 today.
- Exercise with the dogs on average 20 miles/week – Before the pandemic, I was regularly exceeding this goal; then the wonkiness set in and my routine fell out the window. I got back on track, only to injure myself. I’ll get back to it. Most weeks it’s an easy target and I may have to raise it before year’s end.
- Blog 2x/week – Done!
- Declutter one area for 20 minutes once a week – Hah! This is the goal that makes me joke that I am at fault for the pandemic. Even 20 minutes of decluttering is more than I want to do ever, so I put it off until shelter-in-place tossed so much time my way I couldn’t avoid it. After weeks of closet cleaning (which you wouldn’t notice if you came over, which you can’t), I fell off the wagon again. Once I’m back on my feet, I’ll get back to it.
- Practice Sabbath weekly – The pandemic gave this pastor’s family an unexpected gift of having him home on Sundays. We have regularly enjoyed long hikes and brunches/lunches together that we just don’t get the rest of the year.
- Read/engage with a different version of the Bible – I wrote a whole blog series using The Jesus Storybook Bible during Lent. Fun for me, and became especially life-giving once the pandemic hit. *Please note: As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases.
- Read 4 books/month – Goodreads tells me I’m 14 books ahead of schedule, which means I’ll hit my 55 book goal by the end of summer. Obviously, I’m nailing this one. Another twist in response to these odd days: I’ve added a goal to regularly read books by BIPOC.
- One social occasion and/or family fun day per month – We did great in January through early-March – a zoo day, family dinners with friends, I had a beach getaway with college girlfriends, we attended the symphony and the high school musical; then pandemic… On Easter we had a family brunch while we watched church from home, then hike, then puzzle afternoon and dinner together. In May we made Q16’s birthday a family day. Not sure how the rest of the year will play out, but we’ll keep trying.
- Finish my current writing project and do three more – Almost done with the “current” project that got back-burnered, completed a Lenten blog series, and will have to see about another one for the year.
- Use the gift cards – Part of our SIP commitment to support our community and make life a little easier on ourselves has been to order take-out from local restaurants more often than we did previously. Yay for local, small businesses making delicious food!
- Make 5th weekends special: March 27-29, May 29-31, Aug 28-30, Nov 27-29 – All the days are running together, and I have no idea what we did on March and May 5th weekends. Maybe August and November will be intentionally special.
- Say Yes and/or No when appropriate and not out of obligation or guilt – A good goal, but another not measurable.
So, how about you? Any goals, intentions, resolutions that you’re willing to share how you tweaked, met, ditched, or exceeded?
