Turn, turn, turn

It's New Year's Day. And I haven't spent the entire day thinking back on 2007 -- perhaps I had a brief thought that it was a pretty good year. But I'm realizing more these last few months that I'd like more to think about the now and even ahead to what's coming, rather than reminisce about the past. Sure, it's important to reflect on how you got to where you are or happy memories of times you enjoyed. But in my wise old age, I see now that it's also important to be aware of the present and plan for the future.

And rather than to "resolve" to do anything differently this year, or to stop doing something, I'd like to see the changes I'm making more as goals than resolutions. In the past, I resolved not to make resolutions, and perhaps that set me up for disappointment at the end of each year; or perhaps my lack of awareness made me oblivious to any potential disappointment. (A-ha; I'm reminiscing, aren't I?) But something in my brain clicked in 2007 and suddenly I'm more self-aware and more aware of the people around me, their feelings and their thoughts. Don't ask me, but it's possible that I actually grew up a little bit this year. Or a lot.

So, this first entry of 2008 is to introduce my goals -- not just for 2008, but for as long as it takes for me to achieve them or to incorporate them as permanent elements of my life.

Goal No. 1: Reduce, reuse and recycle
I'm catching myself more and more moving away from the trash can to find another use for or way to dispose of what could easily be thrown away. Or finding another way to transport myself from one place to another.

I plan to build on these small things I'm doing now:

• I take the bus, then the light rail to and from work. It feels great to leave the Golf at home.
• I replaced my petroleum-based household cleaners with plant-based ones. I bought reusable, washable rags to clean with instead of using paper towels.
• I bought a reusable grocery bag for grocery shopping. I took it to Target yesterday and took my purchases home without taking any plastic (or paper) bags home.
• We replaced most of the incandescent light bulbs in the house with compact fluorescent bulbs.
• We bought a Blue Sky Guide with the intention of trying local stores and products we haven't before.
• I repaired a ripped oven mit, instead of returning it to the store as a faulty item. I burned my hand on an oven rack while wearing it, only to discover the stitching came undone. It sat on the counter for more than a month, until yesterday when I decided to sew it up. I haven't sewn anything in years!
  

Goal No. 2: Get up earlier
I constantly joke with co-workers about how I don't roll out of bed until 7:30, or how "I'm not even contemplating getting up at that hour" when we commiserate about getting up early. No more. It doesn't pay to start the day out stressed because I'm running out the door at the last minute to catch the bus.

Goal No. 3: Focus on more positive information, attributes and events
I fall prey to the media's mantra of "if it bleeds, it leads." I stopped watching the news on TV because every other story focused on some horrible event. But even when I peruse the online dailies, my mouse gravitates toward the story of who's been murdered where. That mentality seeps into daily choices and reactions, so my thinking is, if I concentrate more on the positive events going on this world, I'll have a good basis for positive thinking in my personal life. Doug and I have both vowed to catch ourselves in the act of negativity and turn it around. Each time we say something negative, we put a quarter (sometimes more!) in the Neghead Jar. I'd like to say it might fund a vacation, but let's hope we have more positive than negative thoughts before that happens, eh?

Goal No. 4: Expand my interests and interpersonal relationships
Another reflection of my past experiences has shown me that I'm prone to falling into routine, without challenging myself to try something new. My first challenge is to start a book club; to take an existing interest in bookwormedness and branch out to create a social network around it. Also, my friend Belinda has offered to teach me how to knit, and although I would've scoffed at the idea previously, I'm really looking forward to it now.

Goal No. 5: Save money
Doug and I have decided we're ready to buy a house. But the $1,000 (or more) earnest money and whatever down payment and/or closing costs we offer up won't just magically appear. We'll be starting from scratch since we're renting, meaning there's no current equity to cover the aforementioned expenses. So in conjunction with this very attainable goal, I plan to spend less on unnecessary material items. Which also loops back to goal No. 1 to reduce my footprint.

So I intend to go forth with these goals in mind, and I'll make a concerted effort to document my "progress." Onward and upward. For real.