Open Post: New Year’s Resolutions

4th January 2010

Open Post: New Year’s Resolutions

posted in Personal, Rachel |

My apologies for going AWOL last week, dear readers. I took the week off from work and enjoyed some much needed Thoreauian time away from the time-sucking black holes otherwise known as Facebook and the internet and chose instead to lose myself in a few good books and films. I got crazy sick on New Year’s Eve with some weird intestinal thing that saw me with my head in the toilet bowl all evening until severe stomach cramps and dehydration finally had me pony up a $150 co-pay for a trip to the ER. It was there that I found myself for the first time actually wishing I had fat… fat veins, that is. It took five nurses armed with needles the size of a straw poking and prodding me to find a vein. They finally found one and and I soon felt better after some saline and morphine, but now my purple-splotched arms make me look like an amateur junkie. But the best news of the week is that good things come in threes! While still celebrating the birth of my nephew on Dec. 17, I became an aunt again on Dec. 30 to twins Grace Caroline and Gwendolyn Marie. They weren’t due until the end of January, but my sister-in-law went into labor early and delivered them by c-section after one was found to be breech. They’re tiny — just over 5-pounds each — but mom and babies are all doing well.

I have lots of ideas I hope to implement on the site this year. A site redesign, in fact, is one of my New Year’s resolutions. Did I say resolution? I vow each year not to make them, but there’s something symbolic about the New Year — hell, a new decade – that still leaves me in wide-eyed anticipation of doing better, becoming better. New Year’s resolutions carry a bad rap. We make them. We break them. We get discouraged. Some reports predict that most people will fail at their resolutions by Feb. 2. With that in mind and in anticipation of my ADD lack of follow-through, I choose instead to call mine New Year’s goals. I realize that the semantic variances here are negligible, but it makes me feel better knowing that even if I fall short, I didn’t break some solemn affirmation. And unlike some self-flagellations resolutions, mine are all (well, mostly) achievable, sustainable and made with regards to holistic health and wellbeing. They are, in no particular order:

Get organized. I already got a headstart on this goal by organizing the office, kitchen, etc.. but I still have the boxed chaos of a basement to contend with. For someone with ADD, getting organized is more therapeutic than any amount of Adderall.

Learn how to cook healthier and tastier meals. My limited culinary prowess is even more limited by being vegetarian and even more sharply confined by the fact that I have trouble following recipes if they contain more than five ingredients and five steps. But while Morningstar is great and all, we are oh, so bored of variations on a veggie burger.

Try a new fitness activity. Fitness classes can be scary, especially for someone as grossly uncoordinated as I am. This year I hope to conquer my fears of being laughed at in public by either trying out for my local roller derby team or enrolling in a karate class — or both!

Eat breakfast at least semi-regularly. I am not a breakfast foods kind of person and I usually try to sleep as late as I can before stumbling to my home office in a sleepy stupor, but my doctor recommends it and like the good patient I am, I’m trying to squeeze it in. My new single-serving smoothie maker might just make this goal a reality.

Build up our nest egg. Like virtually everyone with a 401k, ours has taken a beating. Neither Brandon and I are budget types of people — it requires far more structure and planning than we could ever muster — but now that he’s taken a pay cut and I have more furloughs on the way and student loans coming due, we really need to look at our finances and find ways to trim the fiscal fat and save more money.

How about you? Did you make any New Year’s resolutions (or goals) this year? If so, what are they? If you didn’t make any, why not? And if you have any smoothie recipes, share ‘em!

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 12:01 pm and is filed under Personal, Rachel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1 On January 4th, 2010, Shannon Russell said:

This is the year I make some scratch off my writing. That’s my big goal.

Oh, and to lose 150 pounds by President’s Day.

Peace,
Shannon

posted on January 4th, 2010 at 12:13 pm

2 On January 4th, 2010, Nuclear Rainbow said:

Smoothies: I usually just take about 200ml low fat cheap yoghurt (since that is relatively runny as well), and add frozen berries, like strawberries, blueberries or raspberries, about a handful (it takes a few times to know with how much fruit the consistency is still nice), and than add about another handful of muesli/cruesli, to get some fibre into it. And then though the blender Very simple, but it makes a very satisfying breakfast.

I also made goals instead of resolutions: try to be more in sync with the seasonal changes around me, especially food-wise (so no strawberries in winter and such), listen better to what my body tells me about what to eat and drink, read, cook and write more and be on the interwebs less, create more free space on my calendar and thereby in my head.

Good luck with yours!

posted on January 4th, 2010 at 12:14 pm

3 On January 4th, 2010, sarahbyrdd said:

Do you have any of the Moosewood cookbooks? They’re my go to when I’m entertaining my noncarnivorous friends.

posted on January 4th, 2010 at 12:35 pm

4 On January 4th, 2010, Matriarchy said:

I also went with “goals”. Stood over my family and made everyone pick at least three on New Year’s Eve. Even the old lady.

I decided to go for goals that were about acquiring my skills or knowledge, instead of the usual “fix myself” goals.

1) Read all of Michael Pollan’s books.
2) Get a functional camera and learn to use it.
3) Get basic handgun skills with my inherited revolver.
4) Learn the whole Yang form of Tai Chi.

posted on January 4th, 2010 at 12:51 pm

5 On January 4th, 2010, Charlotte said:

Definitely going back to school this year. It didn’t work out for the spring semester (which started today), but there’s always summer or fall semester.

posted on January 4th, 2010 at 1:02 pm

6 On January 4th, 2010, Trabb's Boy said:

Best of luck on those!

I rarely do New Year’s resolutions. This year I got my contract renewed just before the holidays, so since Christmas I’ve had some “since I’m no longer panicking about work, I have time to …” resolutions.

In hopes of sticking to at least one thing, I made up a list on my chalkboard of six habits I want to develop (flossing, walking the dog in the mornings, having fruit with lunch, etc.). There’s a check box by each, and at the end of the day I see how many I did. At the bottom of the board are scores, all upbeat, from “0 – Hey, you don’t have to wipe the board!” to “3 – Fan-fucking-tastic!” to “6 – Now you’re just showing off!”. I generally only do two or three, but having a group of resolution options keeps it from being an all or nothing situtation. Of course, the whole thing will break down when I get lazy about looking at the board at all.

I actually wish New Years had more of a yom kippur feel, of thinking over the last year and making sure you have made amends for any wrongs and thought about how to handle things differently over the next year. The New Year’s resolutions thing as a tradition actually winds up feeling kind of self involved. Maybe I’ll resolve to make more outward-oriented resolutions next year!

posted on January 4th, 2010 at 1:21 pm

7 On January 4th, 2010, rachel with a little "r" said:

Learn to play the piano a little. Like a good, solid beginner…since that’s what I am…

posted on January 4th, 2010 at 1:53 pm

8 On January 4th, 2010, Lexie Di said:

I only have a few.

1.) Move more.
2.) Write more.
3.) Really work hard in school.

Apparently, this is going to be a good year for me (according to my horoscope, though I don’t take those very seriously, might as well think positive). But I need to start moving more. Being busy with school and night classes along with my regular day classes has made me pretty lazy when it comes to free time.

I hardly write anymore and it’s something I love to do. Write more, internet-surf less.

And school. Always important. I have math this semester, which means I’ll have to work hard to pass.

Good luck with everyone’s resolutions! Love love!

posted on January 4th, 2010 at 5:26 pm

9 On January 4th, 2010, All Women Stalker said:

I have a lot of goals this year. But basically, I want to see my body as an instrument rather than as an ornament. My goals center around that. Or at least my mind set should be that.

posted on January 4th, 2010 at 10:34 pm

10 On January 4th, 2010, fitness strength training said:

I like your goal of eating more breakfast.

Mine (since everybody is sharing) comes down to:

1. more productive work
2. outsource busy work
3. have more fun!

And also to hit my goals no matter what. That was a good post and I really enjoyed hearing everyone elses goals.

posted on January 4th, 2010 at 11:32 pm

11 On January 5th, 2010, Entangled said:

I tend to be very good at setting action goals (exercise, floss, stop weighing myself), but inversely bad at setting mindset goals (be less anxious, friendlier, happier with myself). The two are definitely related, so no resolutions for me.

posted on January 5th, 2010 at 2:09 pm

12 On January 5th, 2010, marzipan said:

best green smoothie EVER. [warning slowly build up the amount of greens you use... can be a little grassy/overwhelming at first]:

-greens (favorites: kale, spinach, collard greens)
-flax pax (or any flax seed really but these are easy on the fly)
-greek yogurt
-coconut water
-any delicious fruit you have lying around.

guaranteed to make you feel awesome.
xo

posted on January 5th, 2010 at 2:19 pm

13 On January 5th, 2010, sarahbyrdd said:

My goals for the year are shaping up like this:

1) Eat whatever I damn well please (while trying to minimize sodium for my BPs sake) intuitively.

2) Do yoga on something that resembles a regular basis.

3) Continue to pay down My Evil Debt.

4) Continue to build a life with my boyfriend, and solidify our 5 and 10 year plans.

5) Probably find a new job.

posted on January 5th, 2010 at 3:52 pm

14 On January 5th, 2010, Odessa said:

On the healthy vegetarian cooking front, if you do not already have a copy of “Laurel’s Kitchen” find one and get it. My copy is “well-loved” and shows it’s use!

I don’t believe in “resolutions” but I am committed to try to get more active after being forced to be inactive to many times over the past few years. I know “exercise” is the key to feeling younger and healthier.

posted on January 5th, 2010 at 7:26 pm

15 On January 6th, 2010, Gretchen said:

I make both resolutions and goals. I see resolutions as things I want to be, or to make regular parts of my life. Goals are something I can look back at the end of the year and say “yes, I did that” (or not).

Resolutions:
-Love myself emotionally and spiritually
-Love and care for my body
-Strengthen relationships with family and friends

Goals:
-Make some progress in finding the right career
-Form disciplines of spiritual and physical activity
-Plant a garden and keep tending it once it’s established
-Sew at least 4 pieces of clothing
-Start journaling, taking pictures, or otherwise recording events
-Declutter and organize the house
-Put $1000 towards emergency savings

I’m a major data nerd, so I set monthly resolutions/goals towards the yearly ones and track each day in a spreadsheet. It really helps keep me focused on what I want to do, though.

posted on January 6th, 2010 at 3:51 am

16 On January 6th, 2010, Bronwyn said:

Single-serve smoothie makers are THE BOMB. For mine I have:
1 Vanilla Yogurt (lowfat, but not fat free as those tend to taste yucky)
1 Banana, cut up
Frozen Berries- I just sort of fill up the thing to about 1/2 inch lower than the top
1 tsp liquid Vitamin D supplement
1 tsp benefiber

Then I fill the cup about halfway with water with everything in it- I don’t pack anything in. Pop the cap on and blend, and it’s yummy and I’m usually getting 2-3 servings of fruit in there. If I’m “on track” with my eating plan I might have a couple of these a day and then I usually try to eyeball it so it’s 2 servings of fruit per smoothie. But they’re tasty and fast and.. I think I want one right now

posted on January 6th, 2010 at 4:49 pm

17 On January 6th, 2010, JennyRose said:

I have only been able to stick to one resolution over the years and I think it was because the resolution wasn’t about me. My resolution was to be a better recycler. My resolutions to take care of the earth seem to stick.

posted on January 6th, 2010 at 11:04 pm

18 On January 8th, 2010, Emily said:

I’m taking time off from school, because I finally got it through my head that, for me, work doesn’t happen when I’m always drunk and/or binging and purging. So my goals are:

1) Stay in AA. Even if I relapse, don’t quit the program, and don’t stop calling my sponsor.
2) On average, don’t binge and purge enough to meet criteria for an eating disorder. (Bulimia= binging/purging 2x a week).
3) Keep my fish, Bill, alive all year. He’s a betta, so should live for 2-3 years, but I’m great at killing things, so if he’s alive by 2011 it’d be a great accomplishment for me.
4) Pick a church I like and has services at a time I can make, and go, every week!

Wish me luck!

posted on January 8th, 2010 at 12:36 am