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being thoughtful
friday, january 1, 2016
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being thoughtful in all things is the theme for 2016. i've never done a theme before, but i've picked up a new book called eating the moment and the intro impressed me not only with the idea of being thoughtful when we eat but in every moment. making our decisions more thoughtfully, acting more thoughtfully, speaking more thoughtfully. not that i'm rude or anything (most of the time...i don't think?), but i admit to not always being "present" which is what this book appears to be about. the same idea was also brought up in the program in defense of food when the way the french eat was discussed. while both of these are about eating, i can see how being more present would help in all aspects of life. in the end, i hope it becomes more than just a theme or an effort for one year but something that marks my life from here on out.
the big difficulty, of course, is the adhd. i actually function better when multitasking. while i don't think it means i can't be present in the moment, i think it can make it harder. there have been moments in conversation when i'm working on something on the laptop and i lose the thread of the conversation entirely. i will need to learn to put anything else aside when talking to someone so i can pay attention since i doubt being thoughtful and present can happen when distracted, at least in this particular case. the only time i can see that being a problem is when i'm writing. i hate losing the thread of the story in midstream. fortunately, most of the household is understanding of my writing.
part of that thoughtfulness came into play when putting together my goals. i paid more attention to what didn't work last year and attempted to limit my tendency to aim for more than i seem capable of doing. this year it's even more important to be mindful of what i'll have time for because of the grand baby. i figure adding to or overshooting a goal is so much more satisfying than missing. so here are my 2016 goals...
personal/health :: lose 20 pounds
12.5k steps/day
cut out my late night snack
plan/shop for/prepare 4 vegetarian dinners/week
writing :: read 45 books
350 words/day (100 more than what i aimed for in 2015)
finish tirs
chosen to v3
replot shades
web/etc :: updates twice a month to whysper, journeys, and at least 1 general update to alden/month
a new layout for alden
in addition, i have one personal relationship goal and plan to be more aware of some of our spending to i can manage the money better than i have in recent months (and to that end, i already have a financial planner type app on my phone).
that doesn't look like enough, but i know it's pretty much more than. add a baby into the mix, and it may indeed be too much, but we'll see. it's definitely a more manageable list than usual.
i'm really hoping the trend towards, "wtf, year?" is done. the last 2 or 3 have just been mind-blowing in their suckyness. it would be nice to have a generally good year where the struggle isn't so...persistent. it would also be nice to get an offer for one of the novels this year. i'm actually cautiously optimistic that charms will eventually find a home.
i'd also like to see a year that's less hateful in general (politically and otherwise), but that may be some time in coming if what trump has revealed about a significant portion of our population is to be believed.
so for now, i will focus on what i can control: my goals, being thoughtful, and becoming a mommy to the grand baby. hopefully i'll be able to roll with any punches the year has in store for us and manage to make this year better if only in how i face it. |
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