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New Years' Resolutions?

Every New Years' I try to think of what needs changing, what went well, what went wrong. It's a debrief for the year.

A lot changed this year. Not sure of what to resolved yet. My resolutions are not so much a promise of what to do, but a 'regroup', usually fine tuning and redirecting. In the past, it's led to moving to a different city, life changes, and career changes. Mostly not so dramatic.

This year? Too soon to say. Time to start thinking about it.

My biggest challenges are too much work, and trying to do too much. So maybe I'll work on focus. Oh, and the new project is already decided, as I've mentioned elsewhere, beekeeping.

You?

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Permalink Reply by booklover on December 8, 2012 at 9:22am

Beekeeping! That's awesome! :) I don't really want to make the traditional, I'll lose weight, exercise more, etc. resolutions. This is just going to be the year of seeing what I do next. I homeschooled my son for 10 years, and he's in college and works now (he lives at home), and my daughter goes away to a University. I will just be on the lookout for what I want to do with this next phase of my life. I'm not going to pressure myself.

Good luck with your beekeeping Sentient! I've always thought that would be a neat thing to do!~ Melinda

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Permalink Reply by Michael Brice on December 8, 2012 at 10:56pm

Plus you get to wear the awesome beekeeper outfit!

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Permalink Reply by James Kz on December 9, 2012 at 6:00am

My wife used to be a beekeeper. She still has the suit, but she actually rarely wore it (bees just love her to death).

As for New Year's Resolutions, I resolved many years ago never to make them.

I do like Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes) version of the Serenity Prayer though: "The strength to change what I can, the inability to accept what I can't, and the incapacity to tell the difference." That would make a good New Year's Resolution.

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Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on December 9, 2012 at 8:47am

Last year I resolved to learn to make tamales. It didn 't happen. That will go on this year's list too.

Even though it's not new years yet, I bought the hive and gear yesterday. There is a beekeeping store in Portland. Who would have thought that? I have a couple of beekeeping books I am reading, and reserved a bee colony from another bee store near Portland. So that might actually happen.

The biggest challenge for me is work/life balance. I wish I could resolve something about that, but it's hard to think of something. Having some interesting things to escape to, mentally, is part of trying to make that fo betterl

Melinda, it sounds like you are at a crossroads, but to what? "The year of seeing what I do next" certainly sounds exciting! Keep us posted!

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Permalink Reply by booklover on December 9, 2012 at 10:06am

Thanks Sentient! I have a few chronic health issues that will prevent me from doing certain things, although I am far from 'disabled', they are things that make my life less pleasant. It will be a challenge to find something to do that is compatible with my 'limitations.'

Maybe I will have a year of just being a homemaker, being the 'home-base' who takes care of my family and pets from home, available to help with just a call, etc... I enjoy knowing that I'm making my family's individual lives easier by taking care of little things they need to have done so that they can go to work &/or school and not have to worry about appt.'s, errands, meals, etc.

I KNOW I will read a lot, because I already do. So, we will see!

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Permalink Reply by Pat on December 9, 2012 at 8:48am

Same as James Kz. Made a resolution about two decades ago never to make another resolution. I'm not trying to be flippant. But, it's kind of like the politician who signed Grover Nordquist's pledge for no taxes - ever, never, till the end of time, cross my heart and hope to die. Now, some of those politicians who are not complete invertebrates, are realizing what a corner they boxed themselves into. I prefer to keep my personal options open. You never know when you might just have to change.

By the way, good luck with bee keeping. If anything, you're example has me thinking about getting back into vegetable gardening. Been a while, and I do like the end products.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Sarbeck on December 10, 2012 at 10:04pm

Pat, I'm about to turn eighty two and beat you to that no-more-resolutions resolution by a couple of decades. Saying so still occasionally results in discussions, which I welcome.

I don't wait for the end of the year.

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Permalink Reply by Ted Foureagles on December 9, 2012 at 9:40am

I hereby resolve to try to grow a little patch of corn again this year, and to get the soil sample in on time so that maybe it'll turn out better than last season.

}}}}

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Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on December 9, 2012 at 4:41pm

Cool! A man after my own heart!

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Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on December 9, 2012 at 9:59am

I'm not a great fan of New Year's resolutions, mostly because I'm supposedly obliged to make them at a time when I may or may not feel moved to resolve anything, then later to take action to fulfill those resolutions when the time is presumably propitious to do so. To this I respond as Vice President Joe Biden did so popularly during his debate with Paul Ryan:

Malarkey.

I submit that creating such resolutions artificially is in too many cases creating a self-fulfilling failure, and I see no point in participating in such a counterproductive activity. I act on things needing action as and how I see a need and feel the desire to engage in such action. Doing so when I am sufficiently moved to do so strikes me as being not just infinitely more effective but more HONEST, and that is my personal preference.