Good-bye, 2019!
Can you believe that Wednesday is the first day of 2020? 2019 has certainly been a year...
And as people are hurrying to make plans for New Year's Eve, an equal number of people have already started thinking about their resolutions. You know, those things we all make and very few of us see through?
I've tried all kinds of New Year's resolutions. I even wrote a blog post about it a hundred years ago. You can read past Kaitlin's thoughts on this whole thing here.
Well, the last two years, I decided to do the same four resolutions. They are going to be the same resolutions I strive toward in 2020 as well, even though my progress may not have been what I wanted it to be.
Which begs the question: if you didn't accomplish those resolutions, why are you doing the same ones again? Wouldn't it be smarter to make different resolutions? {And don't worry, I'm going to tell you what those resolutions are in a moment}
The answer to those questions is not as simple as it seems.
First, I think those resolutions are worthwhile. They are somewhat open-ended, but they also require me to actually do some work toward them. They don't look like a specific thing, but at the same time, there are a lot of things they don't look like. Let me tell you what I mean. The resolution "write more" is open-ended and vague. However, in the back of my mind, I know what that means and what it doesn't mean {for me}. Those two words don't mean "blog more" or "write in my journal." They specifically refer to short story/novel writing. And yet, because of the ambiguity of the words "write more," I could be very tempted to count something other than my original intentions as accomplishing this resolution. I really hope that sentence made sense.
Second, I think the point of resolutions is to challenge you to make positive changes in your life. Maybe even frivolous changes in your life! For example, I read a blog post recently where the blogger said her resolutions have been more fun in the past few years: only wearing real pajamas or drinking tea out of actual tea cups {of course, I cannot actually find it right now, so that's disappointing}. Small changes, fun changes, but changes nonetheless. And I think if I am going to make zero changes in my life and try to say that I have accomplished something I resolved to do, then I am cheating. In my opinion, that defeats the purpose of making a resolution.
Now, I also love the idea of making small, intentional changes for a few weeks, such as a dry month, a month with no frivolous spending, or a week-long social media detox. While I was having coffee with my friend, Katie, we discussed the idea of being intentional about something each month, and I think this is something I am going to try as well. Maybe I'll just add that to my monthly list post--not making any promises, but it's a thought.
Okay. It's finally time. Time for the big reveal.
Not really a big reveal, but that sounds better than "now I'm going to tell you what those four resolutions were/are."
1. TRAVEL SOMEWHERE NEW
In 2018, I think I said this a little differently. It was still a resolution about travel, but I think it was "travel out of state three times." I accomplished it. I'm pretty sure I did. In 2019, I adjusted the wording of it, and I also am 100% sure I accomplished it. My trip to Boston and the surrounding areas was a highlight of my year, and I am already planning a spring break trip for 2020.
2. WRITE UNTIL SOMETHING IS FINISHED
Yeah...here's the thing. I am really bad at concluding things. I have {officially and unofficially} done NaNoWriMo in both 2018 and 2019, and neither of those two works has been finished. I did start some major editing of the 2018 piece, which is the excuse I am giving. I know how I want that to end. I know how I want the 2019 piece to end. I'm just not ready to end them. But 2020, girl, that's going to be different! Hopefully...
3. LEARN MORE ABOUT MY FAMILY
I didn't do so well with this one either. I know quite a bit about parts of my family's history--the Ireland and Rowe sides, for example--because there have been some amazing genealogical detectives who came before me. The thing is that digging into records and following all of those leaves on Ancestry takes a lot of time...A LOT OF TIME. Maybe this will be one of my monthly intentions. I like that idea.
4. BE IN THE BEST SHAPE OF MY LIFE
I did pretty good with this in 2018. I did yoga or ran almost every day. I ate really well and eliminated sugar from my diet for weeks at a time. 2019 was a different story, however. The motivation just hasn't been there. I don't really know why. But I am already gearing up for 2020! I have plans...oh so many plans. The problem is that there is an awful lot of Christmas candy and cookies and such things that need to be taken care of. Gotta figure that part out first, but I am very optimistic about this resolution this year! Plus, I love that there is no real end goal. There's no target weight or activity, and every year I can keep being in the best shape of my life because every year is going to be different.
And there you have it, my 2020 resolutions. I am genuinely intrigued by the whole premise of making and keeping/breaking resolutions, and so if you feel so inclined, share your experiences! What has worked for you or not worked for you? Do you make resolutions at the new year, or do you do things differently?
Regardless of your thoughts on resolutions, I do hope you all have a safe and happy New Year! See you in 2020!
And as people are hurrying to make plans for New Year's Eve, an equal number of people have already started thinking about their resolutions. You know, those things we all make and very few of us see through?
Well, the last two years, I decided to do the same four resolutions. They are going to be the same resolutions I strive toward in 2020 as well, even though my progress may not have been what I wanted it to be.
Which begs the question: if you didn't accomplish those resolutions, why are you doing the same ones again? Wouldn't it be smarter to make different resolutions? {And don't worry, I'm going to tell you what those resolutions are in a moment}
The answer to those questions is not as simple as it seems.
First, I think those resolutions are worthwhile. They are somewhat open-ended, but they also require me to actually do some work toward them. They don't look like a specific thing, but at the same time, there are a lot of things they don't look like. Let me tell you what I mean. The resolution "write more" is open-ended and vague. However, in the back of my mind, I know what that means and what it doesn't mean {for me}. Those two words don't mean "blog more" or "write in my journal." They specifically refer to short story/novel writing. And yet, because of the ambiguity of the words "write more," I could be very tempted to count something other than my original intentions as accomplishing this resolution. I really hope that sentence made sense.
Second, I think the point of resolutions is to challenge you to make positive changes in your life. Maybe even frivolous changes in your life! For example, I read a blog post recently where the blogger said her resolutions have been more fun in the past few years: only wearing real pajamas or drinking tea out of actual tea cups {of course, I cannot actually find it right now, so that's disappointing}. Small changes, fun changes, but changes nonetheless. And I think if I am going to make zero changes in my life and try to say that I have accomplished something I resolved to do, then I am cheating. In my opinion, that defeats the purpose of making a resolution.
Now, I also love the idea of making small, intentional changes for a few weeks, such as a dry month, a month with no frivolous spending, or a week-long social media detox. While I was having coffee with my friend, Katie, we discussed the idea of being intentional about something each month, and I think this is something I am going to try as well. Maybe I'll just add that to my monthly list post--not making any promises, but it's a thought.
Okay. It's finally time. Time for the big reveal.
Not really a big reveal, but that sounds better than "now I'm going to tell you what those four resolutions were/are."
1. TRAVEL SOMEWHERE NEW
In 2018, I think I said this a little differently. It was still a resolution about travel, but I think it was "travel out of state three times." I accomplished it. I'm pretty sure I did. In 2019, I adjusted the wording of it, and I also am 100% sure I accomplished it. My trip to Boston and the surrounding areas was a highlight of my year, and I am already planning a spring break trip for 2020.
2. WRITE UNTIL SOMETHING IS FINISHED
Yeah...here's the thing. I am really bad at concluding things. I have {officially and unofficially} done NaNoWriMo in both 2018 and 2019, and neither of those two works has been finished. I did start some major editing of the 2018 piece, which is the excuse I am giving. I know how I want that to end. I know how I want the 2019 piece to end. I'm just not ready to end them. But 2020, girl, that's going to be different! Hopefully...
3. LEARN MORE ABOUT MY FAMILY
I didn't do so well with this one either. I know quite a bit about parts of my family's history--the Ireland and Rowe sides, for example--because there have been some amazing genealogical detectives who came before me. The thing is that digging into records and following all of those leaves on Ancestry takes a lot of time...A LOT OF TIME. Maybe this will be one of my monthly intentions. I like that idea.
4. BE IN THE BEST SHAPE OF MY LIFE
I did pretty good with this in 2018. I did yoga or ran almost every day. I ate really well and eliminated sugar from my diet for weeks at a time. 2019 was a different story, however. The motivation just hasn't been there. I don't really know why. But I am already gearing up for 2020! I have plans...oh so many plans. The problem is that there is an awful lot of Christmas candy and cookies and such things that need to be taken care of. Gotta figure that part out first, but I am very optimistic about this resolution this year! Plus, I love that there is no real end goal. There's no target weight or activity, and every year I can keep being in the best shape of my life because every year is going to be different.
And there you have it, my 2020 resolutions. I am genuinely intrigued by the whole premise of making and keeping/breaking resolutions, and so if you feel so inclined, share your experiences! What has worked for you or not worked for you? Do you make resolutions at the new year, or do you do things differently?
Regardless of your thoughts on resolutions, I do hope you all have a safe and happy New Year! See you in 2020!
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