Happy 2019! – Jot #1

Bon débarras, 2018!  I really want to start out this year differently than the last one. I spent a good portion of 2018 recovering from fracturing my tibia and fibula. I managed to do that in February last year, and I don’t want any repeats. I’m still sorting out the after-effects of it, even though I had a fantastic surgeon and have regained a normal range of motion.

So, what about new year’s resolutions? As I say every year, I don’t really believe in them. When I think of “resolutions” I think of Jonathan Edwards’ 70 resolutions, and I feel that having read them, the word “resolution” becomes rather too serious for a bunch of silly promises we try to make for ourselves every January.

I do, nonetheless have plans for 2019. In 2018 I did manage to keep a planner/journal of sorts, based on the ultra-famous “Bullet Journal” of Ryder Caroll last year, or at least I did after I broke my leg. Not that I had a lot to “plan” while I was lying in bed in my living room because I couldn’t go upstairs to my bedroom, other than doctors visits. In any case, I at least made some habits about that, and I think it could be a great tool for me. I “decorated” it a lot last year, just because I wanted to, not that it made it more useful. I’ll take that bit with a grain of salt for this year, because it is time-consuming to try and emulate those “instagram bujos.” Ultimately, I do it if it pleases me, and if not, I still need to keep track of stuff that’s going on. So I’m going to try to use this tool during a “real” year of activities and see how it goes.

A lot of people try to choose a word to focus on for the year, and I think it’s not a bad idea. If I had to choose one word, I think it needs to be Simplify.   After moving two parents two times each, I am really starting to get how important it is to divest myself of stuff that has accumulated around me. Yes, I did read Marie Kondo’s book a while back, but I need to read it again, I think. It’s really good to stop and make sure that all the things you choose to surround yourself with make you happy. I’m still going to have a whole basement full of things belonging to my parents, but I’m going to have to be content with them down there, knowing that they aren’t mine to “tidy up.”

This blog. Yes, every January I start out great, thanks to Linda Hill and her Just Jot it January, and then I falter. Last year, after breaking my leg, I thought that I’d have tons of time to write while I was laid up. It turns out that recovery from a serious fracture is not a state conducive to prolific writing. Simply put, I didn’t feel much like doing it!

So here I am, two days into the new year, and already behind. If I could change one thing in 2019, it would be to stop getting behind. I hate feeling rushed, I don’t like relegating the things I really enjoy to the sidelines, to be done haphazardly in spare moments. I think this means saying no more often, and being more efficient in doing the things that I have to do, so I can enjoy more fully the things I want to do. We’ll see how that works out!

As for the rest of my “non-resolutions”, here they are, in no particular order:

• write more
• read more
• Read Jonathan Edwards’ resolutions again
• sign up for medieval sword-fighting classes with my husband
• play more music
• spend more quality time with loved ones
• travel
• stop feeling rushed, be more efficient with my time
• attain a C1 level in French
• send a letter to someone at least once a month
• do a Zentangle tile at least once a week
• take my vitamins
• walk as much as I can
• eat better/lose that extra weight I gained while out with my injury

Oh, I could go on, but the year isn’t that long, and in order to stop feeling rushed, I’ve got to…oh, yeah. Simplify.

So here’s to 2019, mes amis ! Simplifions !

This post is part of Just Jot it January! Click the link to find the rules and see how you can join in the fun! https://lindaghill.com/2019/01/01/jusjojan-2019-daily-prompt-jan-1st/

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