New Year's Non-Resolutions

Here I am again, trying to actually finish and publish a post. I have several in draft mode, but I'm struggling to get to the point where I'm ready to hit "publish." (Clearly, "perfect" is the enemy of "done.")

Let me ramble a bit about new year's resolutions. (It's still January, so...) I decided this year to focus on a theme, rather than particular goals. I settled on organization and priorities. 

Organization because? Well, sometimes my world is a bit chaotic. I have things I'd like to accomplish, but I seem to be always busy catching up in some other area of my life. And my office? Bringing order there has been on my to-do list since before I retired... 

Priorities because? As I try to get organized, and accomplish things, I want to be sure I'm accomplishing things I actually care about, things that are meaningful. 

I have a two-pronged approach to this. First, I have a list of items on my phone. This is my perpetual to-do list. There are a few items that just make life easier if I stay on top of them (make the bed; start the laundry; tidy the kitchen). There are some items that I want to be priorities (scripture study; walk Bernie). There are some items that I simply want to make time for (piano; knitting; reading), so they are on my list as well. Some items get added and deleted, depending on life (schedule Bernie's vet appointment; make a grocery shopping list; download tax software). 

I've never gotten through the whole list, but I do find satisfaction in checking off the tasks I do manage to get to each day. So that's something!

The second prong to all this is cutting way back on social media. I don't want to give it up completely - I do maintain some connections through social media, and I often learn things I wouldn't hear about otherwise. Plus: cute little kid pictures! But honestly, it is scary how much time I can waste scrolling through Instagram or Facebook or Twitter. I know that I'm better off just picking up a book.

I should mention one more theme that I'm focusing on this year: Heel-toe. Early in the year, we had dinner with friends, and were lamenting the risk of falling that we're all facing (Jim fell last October, and one of these friends fell over the holidays, plus we each know of other friends who've had bad falls). Our dinner companion said that we need to walk heel first, then toe, to avoid catching our toe on something and falling. 

So, my themes for the year: Organization, Priorities, Heel-toe!

And - of course - cute beagle pictures.

Bernie, on the Kal-Haven Trail