So this is the new year...

So this is the new year
And I have no resolutions
For self assigned penance
For problems with easy solutions
-DCFC

2011 was insane. It wasn't one of those years that I wish I could kick in the butt (2008?), as there were several parts that I loved dearly. It was more like a lesson in jumping through flaming hoops, drinking from a fire hydrant, and then simultaneously recovering from the burns and near drowning experience... Meanwhile, living life passionately.

I decided that I don't like the idea of resolutions. To resolve means that you recognize that you sucked at something and vow to fix it. I am not closed off to progress. It's a wonderful thing that should be a constant. To place meaning on once-a-year goals with forgotten accountability just seems to trivialize the passionate effort of doing my best every day. But that's just me. New Year's resolutions from my past fall along the lines of self-denial and penance (No more ice cream???). Life is meant to be enjoyed. Thoughtful moderation seems more fitting. Anyways, having said that, I have thought of some things I would like to try. I want to keep goals centered on promoting a well-rounded existence. Way more fun and self-friendly than the resolutions of years past :)

1. Try a new recipe from my cookbooks or Pinterest once a week
2. Brush up on Latin dancing with my foxy husband. I haven't been on the dance floor since my tendons went bad in my feet.
3. Use my sewing machine to do a project every month or two-- something other than repairs and alterations
4. Get back to running 3-4 miles a day-- not because I want to drop pounds (for the first time in my life I am happy with how I am. The toning would be a bonus, though), but because when I was in this habit, I was invigorated, low-stress, and actually spent some time outdoors. Again, something I lost track of when my tendons went bad.
5. Read for pleasure

As usual, my insides are all in a knot over the future. Grad school? Career path? Something else? I feel like lately my head has been on backwards and that I need to get back to ME so that I can make the most of the coming year. I've put myself on the back burner for too long! As if life wasn't huge already, it's about to get insanely large, I can feel it. BRING IT ON, BABY. No, that was not an announcement.


[RACHEL]