19 Things in 2019? Rethinking Resolutions
2019: Write, Make, Read, Bake.
In the past, I’d write a long list for the new year. Part resolutions, part wish list, part weighty to-do list, I never once tackled the entire thing. And then I had kids and didn’t even bother trying to commit to anything because I was tired of having impossible dreams like “I’m going to make our living room look like it belongs in Domino magazine, dress like Cate Blanchett and write a novel while the kids are napping.”
(Instead, my living room looks we were reverse-robbed by toy bandits, I’m dressed like Kurt Cobain — hello, oversized flannel — and I get mad when the kids wake up early from their naps because I was napping, too.)
I was also tired of writing lists that demanded I be on a chore treadmill. Or like it was up to me to somehow rudder this ship called family. I was putting too much pressure on myself to “have it all” and “do it all” and “be it all.”
A friend of mine loved the using the phrase “Don’t should on me.” Whether it’s someone else telling me what I should do with my time and energy, or my own sense of mom-guilt doing it for me, crafting a long list of things I *should* get around to this year isn’t exactly my idea of getting 2019 off to a great start.
So I’m going to do what I *want* to do…with very low expectations. What are things I won’t regret investing my limited time, energy and resources on? What are things that are life-giving to me, not soul-sucking?
(Yes, I’ll organize our finances in time for tax season. But that does not deserve a spot on a list of things that make me feel alive — other than the stress-relief that comes with “chaos managed.” And if I finally start drinking more water and discover the much-touted benefits of adequate hydration, I’ll let you know.)
I want to write, make, read and bake.
Write: Here. And maybe develop something worth pitching to publishers/agents. (Also, get paid again. Because capitalism.)
Make: Clothing! And my first quilt. (Probably start with a baby quilt because WHO HAS TIME?!)
Read: Books. More of them.
Bake: Baguettes. Brioche. Bagels. Croissants. (Also, make friends with more people who like gluten.)
I might do all of these things. I might start a few and finish even fewer. I might do one.
2019 is the year my eldest goes to school — * sniffle * — and my youngest learns to SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT. PLEASE. We’re in a constant state of transition. Hopefully with a side of quilting cottons, library books and a sourdough starter named Bruce. No guilt or “shoulds” allowed.
What are your goals for 2019?
