Resolution Check-In

Last week I wrote about having to give up one of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2014, so I thought this would be a good time to do a check in to see how I’ve done with this year’s list.

1. Commit Random Acts of Kindness (at LEAST one per month) .  – Definitely accomplished this one, and this is one goal I actually exceeded by….a lot.  
2. Make time to write more.  Set up a daily writing schedule and STICK TO IT (also make sure to eat and sleep, that didn’t happen with the last writing schedule).  I love it so DO it! – I struggle with this one daily.  I have a schedule, but I really stink about keeping it.  This is just one I have to forgive myself for and re-work the schedule to something I can actually stick to.  Sometimes it is not working on your willpower or self-control, but designing something that really fits with your life.
3. Make time for my family.  They’re awesome and I love them, spend more time with them, for crying out loud!  Work in some one on one time with each of them every once in a while.  They are fun and entertaining, but they are more fun and entertaining one on one! – Sunday dinner’s got re-instituted, and I may not make it every week, but I definitely see them a lot more often than I did before.  It is hard to believe that I used to think once a month would be hard!
4. Make time for my friends…see above.  Regularly schedule something together or separately once a month.– This didn’t go as well as I wanted it to.  Some friends got more attention than others, but I’m working on it!
5. Create a realistic, manageable, budget and find a way to keep it. (It doesn’t count if I write it down but never track it.)  – I’m calling this one a success.  I lost my job, but I didn’t lose my mind.  Things got rearranged to make sure the essentials were covered and I still had some fun.  The challenge will be sticking to it now that I’m working again!
6. Take time for myself.  Nothing else works well, if I feel overwhelmed or too stressed.  Take at least an evening (or two) every week to de-stress and relax. – I got some good quality “me” time in while I was “re-evaluating my career”, and I’m working hard to stick to it.  
7. Eat more meals at home.  (I am a great cook…do it!)  – This ended up being the largest part of re-vamping my budget, and my food is a lot healthier than most restaurant choices.  
8. Set up meal exchange with a friend (less cooking, more variety, and I might try a new thing or two) – This worked for a couple of months, but my meal exchange partner had a hard time balancing everything in her schedule to work it in.  We had a great time for those couple of months though.  Maybe we can re-integrate it again soon!
9. Eat more vegetables (I love veggies, I could practically be a vegetarian, well, three days a week, maybe.  Why don’t I eat more of them?) – Cherry Street Farmers’ Market became one of my favorite places over the summer, and my sister has had a bountiful garden this year.  So not only did I eat more veggies, but I tried new ones and sourced the majority locally.
10. Utilize all the hundreds (maybe thousands?) of recipes I have  – I had some time on my hands, so I really worked my cookbooks and Pinterest for new recipes.  When you get handed a bunch of free squash, you learn how to cook squash! 
11. Make more food myself and get rid of all the extra sodium and processed food.  I hate the way the processed food tastes…don’t eat so much of it.  I love baking bread, bake your own bread.  If I have extra, freeze it or give it away.  I’m doing a random act of kindness every month, give away food!  There are great freezer tips for freezing your own soup and etc.  USE THEM – I really cut down on the processed food I eat.  I also learned that I can only bake bread if there is no yeast involved…apparently I have offended yeast in some way and it refuses to work for me.  Now the weather is getting cooler, I’m looking forward to trying some of my great soup recipes!
12. Exercise – Run with my friends, train to run a 5K in October. – Training happened, exercise happened, even running happened!
13. Drink more water…just because I can drink soda again doesn’t mean you SHOULD! – Did I mention running happened?  That definitely took my water consumption to a whole new level.  The challenge is sticking with it now that I’m working again.
14. Be healthier – mentally, physically, spiritually… ( This is perpetual, but still necessary.) – This was an example of a poorly crafted goal.  How do you even measure this?  
15. Run the Tulsa Run 5K in October. – Not happening.  Let it go Jessica.  It is all fine.
16. Train my dog.  We’re not talking therapy dog training time here, just more training.  It is fun and you love it…do it!- We learned one new trick…that’s it.  I really didn’t stick with this one at all.
17.  Read every day.  It relaxes me, I love it, it makes you smarter, and improves your writing…why don’t I do more of that and less Television?  – Well, it may not have been a book that I read every day, but I have read something for fun and relaxation every single day.  Let me just say that I love Mental Floss magazine.  It greatly increases my amount of knowledge that will be helpful in any situation where trivia is important.
18. Treat myself to a massage every now and again…seriously, I need it. – The year isn’t over yet?  Maybe that should be my birthday present to myself since the concert I wanted to go to is sold out.  Who knew Tulsa was filled with so many alt-J fans?
19. Actually go to all my doctor and dentist appointments. – I go to my allergy shot appointments every week.  Does this count?
20. Say “No” once in a while.  No one is going to hate me forever if I tell them I can’t do something.  If they are going to hate me forever for saying “no” do I really want to hang around with them? – I’m calling this one good.  I declined a trip to KC, the Oklahoma Aquarium, and practiced telling myself “no” too.  This isn’t something that I like doing.  There’s a lot of fun stuff that happens, and I want to do all of it!
21. Go someplace new…or that I haven’t been to in a really long time (I’m thinking London here.)  Seattle, New York, Austin, North Carolina, Paris, Morocco (Wow, that last one just kind of typed itself.  I didn’t actually know I wanted to go there, but yeah, let’s go to Morocco!)… There is a lot of this country I haven’t seen.  Not every trip has to be out of the U.S.  I know lots of people in lots of places, maybe I should visit them. – BOSTON!  Also, lots of fun places around where I live.  Did you know Gilcrease has some touchy feely exhibits?  I don’t mean emotionally, either.  You can actually feel the texture of the pottery, beadwork, and lots of other things.  Just read the signs because, not everything is there for your handsy self.
22. Seriously look into growing my own vegetable and herb garden. (Not like last year where all I did to “look” was pin stuff on Pinterest.)  Look into structure, pricing materials, really plan this thing. – Yep, didn’t happen at all.  My sister is doing such a great job with her garden…also I killed several houseplants this year.  I may have a black thumb.
23. Plant my own herbs. (Even if I don’t do a whole garden, set up something on the back porch with my favorite fresh herbs…it will save me a ton of money!) – See number 22.  Seriously, the plants that survive my house have to adapt.  Maybe I can be an example for plant evolution?  

You know what?  I feel better having read this.  There are still more than two months left in the year, and I’ve done a pretty great job with my list.  Let’s see if I can knock a couple more off my list before we ring the bell on 2014.  Do you check in to see how you’re doing on your resolution list?  Do you do the resolution thing?

‘Til next time,
Jessica