Posts from the ‘happiness’ Category

Resolution-type things…

I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions per se, but I am a compulsive list-maker and there are ALWAYS things on my “To Do” list. I seem to have a myriad of things swirling around in my brain, at all times. If I don’t commit things to paper  – BIG and small – fugetaboutit! Here are a few things that I have commited to paper, in regard to the New Year.

• At the start of the New Year, we always decide where we are going to travel (internationally) that year. (I have to use my passport at least once a year or I start to get twitchy!). This year however, we have made a commitment to each other to save more money this year – for big, exciting things that we have planned on the horizon. We are still going to travel, oh yes indeed, but for the first three-quarters of this New Year, we are planning on doing things on a slightly smaller scale. I’m still going to see if we can get out of the country come fall, but nothing is decided yet. However, a visit back to Asheville (where we met and fell in love) is definitely first up in our book this year. With Beech Mountain, NC;  Washington D.C.; and New Orleans topping the list for our more localized travel this year.  In the past couple of years we’ve been all over… New York City (twice), Charleston, Western NY state, San Francisco, Georgia, Illinois, Jamaica and Ireland! 
•  We are also making the commitment to have a “date night” twice a month. (I think anyone that has been in a long-term relationship/marriage understands this one!). T and I do spend a lot of quality time together, but sometimes we get busy and tired and forget how nice it is to dress up and get out of the house! We’ve made a list of new (or new to us) restaurants in the area that we want to try, and we have 10 on the list thus far. That should take us to May! 
• I am committed to continuing with my real food/mostly vegetarian way of life.  I still like meat in my meals occasionally, and I don’t think I will ever go back to being 100% vegetarian again; and Tristan, well he was a meat ‘n potatoes guy when we met. He has been SO adventurous in the past year or so, trying new things, and eating a lot of vegetarian meals; but I still try to make meat about once a week for him. He obviously is able to eat meat for lunch during the week, and any time we go out to eat, etc. However, he has come so far in accepting this other way of life. I’m so proud of him! I think I eat meat about 4x/month now, and that works for me. 
• I am committed to doing my backyard garden bigger and better this year, with the addition of TWO new raised garden beds. It was so much fun (and hard work!) in 2010, that I can’t wait until it’s time to plant my spring crops! 
• Something that I am still striving for is learning to take more time for myself. I lead such a busy (read: tiring!) life, that I sometimes miss out the small things. Being able to listen to music more often, take a relaxing bath, take a cooking class, etc. are all things I would like to make time for.  I‘m a giver, and what spare time I do have, I tend to “give” away.  I am going to try to give some of that time to myself. 
• I am working on being more positive on a day-to-day basis. It is really easy these days to slip into a funk and be cranky all day because some jackass cut me off on my way to work, or something.  I’ve always been a bit of a sarcastic pessimist (in a charming way, of course!), but these days it seems I’m often bitching and moaning about something, even if only to myself. I’m a passionate person, (Scorpio all the way!), and have always been feisty… I used to not care what others think of me – but lately, that has changed.  I want to be that feisty, spunky woman again. I seem to have retreated into my shell, but I’m coming back out in 2011!

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