New Years Resolutions

I went to bed with Charlotte around 8:30 this evening. Unfortunately after playing with her, reading with her (she read her book and I read mine), feeding her and getting her to sleep I could not convince my brain to shut down. I attribute this to two things.

First, I've started reading Thom Hartmann's book "Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight." It's about our use of fossil fuels and their impact on our species and our planet etc... basically some deep shit! I feel like its my responsibility to at least try to keep up with current events and to at least do something about what I think is wrong in the world. This is something I think is wrong in the world. Very wrong. I couldn't stop thinking about the impact of what I'd just read.

Second I wrote down my to-do list for tomorrow - it's rather long since I've been putting several chores off over the holiday and especially because we'll be flying to visit Paul's parents week after next. I have some work to do! I also decided to write down my New Years Resolutions.

In the past I've avoided New Years Resolutions usually because there's a stigma (at least to me) that they're meant to fail and that they're always about the same things - losing weight and being a better person. You are who you are, how you live isn't going to change because the planet has made it's loop in the solar system. In spite of all this I wrote some anyway. I'm going to justify it this year because I've already been working on them, and I made them the sorts of goals that I'll meet at different points throughout the year.

Here's my list:

1. Spend more face time with important people in my life.
2. Have an "unplugged" day once a week.
3. Walk 20 minutes EVERY DAY.
4. Start Dragon Boating again.
5. Cut out all sugar for the month of January and July.
6. Give a recital.
7. Find a paid position singing at a church
8. Journal my dreams.

Now here's my justifications - not because I think you need to know them, but because I can't sleep for thinking about them.

1. One of the major reasons we wanted to move to the east side was because we wanted to be closer to our support system of friends and family. We did just have a baby and this tends to throw a wrench into making plans with people and Paul works 50+ hour work weeks so this is rather challenging. But I'm a social person and the people I surround myself have a big impact on my day to day life. I want to surround myself with the people that support me and make me feel good about life and myself. So be warned, I may become rather annoying at trying to spend time with you.

2. I was listening to talk radio - something I tend to do often - and I don't remember who had said it but the host talking struck a cord (chord?) with me. He said that he and his wife had come to an agreement when they had their first baby last year that they wanted to be present for their children. This means something very different now than it did even 5 years ago. In this day and age it is very easy to get swept up in technology. I consider myself a key offender. I already find myself mindlessly ignoring my baby because I'm on facebook. I don't want my baby to grow up feeling like she has to compete with my computer.  So I'm going to try to block out one day a week - or the equivalent spread over the week - where there is no tv, no computer, no smart phone, no video games.

3. This goes back to my high cholesterol problem. My doctor told me the key issue is my lack of exercise. I need to make it a priority to get my butt moving in one chunk of time every day without fail. I can add other exercise that's more challenging if I want as an alternate, but I need to be doing something and since I had Charlotte it hasn't been happening. So come rain, come shine, come hell or high water, I'm taking to the streets. 20 minutes a day. Every day.

4. I missed Dragon Boating so much last year and what's worse is I had conflicts whenever there was a race that was close enough for me to go support so I didn't get to see my team once last year. I miss them terribly! I miss the invigoration of being out on the river. I miss being a part of something. So come spring, I'm getting my chubby butt back out on that boat and starting from square one again. I just hope they'll have me!

My reward if successful.

5. This is also related to my cholesterol, but also because I find it kind of disturbing at how thoroughly addicted I am to refined sugar. This includes fake sugar too. I'd like to make this something I do more permanently and I may adjust the frequency that I do my sugar detox, but for now I'm going to hit a 30 day cleanse.

6. I've been thinking about doing this since the Fall anyway, but if I put it on paper, I'm more likely not to back down from the challenge. I want to grow as a singer. This is how I'm going to do it. I don't care if I sing to an audience of 10, I'm going to make it happen!

7. I'm debatable about this still. First it conflicts with dragon boating quite a bit - although most church jobs give you a sabbatical during the summer when paddling is in full swing. But I would like to be singing on a regular basis and I would like to be earning a paycheck. The other nice thing about this is the hours are conducive to a full time mom.

8. This is more for fun than anything. I watched a documentary on netflix about dreams and there was a doctor that did a study where he found that over a long period of time, thematic elements in dreams really gave insight into peoples mental state about their lives. I'd like to keep track just to see if I'm heading in the right directions.

I feel like my list has some manageable challenges in it. Perhaps if I start to succeed at some of these goals I'll be able to get to sleep easier!

On a completely off tangent, I'm listening to a recording of Choral Cross-Ties singing Lauridsen's Madrigali. It's absolutely breath-taking. I hope I get to sing them with a choir of equal quality someday.