New Year's Resolutions

I love making new year's resolutions.  Hopeless optimist?  You betcha.  One of my favorite lines in Anne of Green Gables is, "Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?"  Likewise, 2014 is a new year with no mistakes in it.  I will always make new year's resolutions--even if I'm not very good at keeping all of them.

Some that I have kept (more or less) over the last few years are:

• Invite people over for dinner once every month or so
• Read my Bible daily
• Expand my recipe repertoire (this is still a work in progress)
• Become a better pianist (getting there, but have not yet "arrived")
• Lose fifteen pounds (well...I've lost twelve)

For 2014, I actually have seven resolutions.  Hmmm...they're goals, really.  And the reason I have so many is because there is simply a lot of room for improvement here.  

1. Be more generous with my money, possessions, time, and spirit (as opposed to a critical spirit).

 

2. Read the Bible chronologically, one chapter at a time, with a pen and notebook handy.  This will take about three years, I'm guessing, to read the entire Bible.  I've done The One Year Bible for three or four different years, and I've enjoyed it.  The editors chose a portion from the Old Testament, a portion from the New Testament, a psalm, and a couple of verses from Proverbs for each day's reading.  It adds up to about three chapters' worth of the Bible per sitting.  I'd like to slow down this year, and read more systematically.  Lately, I can't remember if what I read this morning was from Zechariah or Revelation (both prophetic books).  It doesn't take much to confuse me.  ; )  

3. Delegate more chores to my children.  They've had it pretty easy.  It's time.

4. Practice music daily--piano and/or violin and/or ukulele.  Even if all I can muster is 15 minutes, at least it's something.

5. Do cardio 3X per week and toning 3X per week (alternating days).  You know that exercise had to sneak in this list somewhere.

6. Be in bed by 11PM most nights.

7. Methodically purge unused, unloved possessions from our entire home.  I'm reading a book called The Joy of Less by Francine Jay.  It's been very motivating for me to want to live a more minimalist lifestyle.  We have so much and waste so much.  I've already given away about half of my clothes, and now there's so much space in my closet that I can make a little "woman cave" in there.  Okay, woman cave isn't the best term.  I think I'll call it a "mom nave"--a little sanctuary place for me to read, write, pray, play music, think in complete sentences...you get the idea.

And now, here is an opportunity for me to exercise Resolution #1.  Samuel (6yo) just said to me, "Mom, let me ask you a question.  What's more important...the computer or feeding your children?"  I'm going to be generous with my time now and get the boy a snack.

Happy new year!