Thursday February 3rd – Happy New Year!
This is horribly tricky. When I am given free reign with a pen and paper to write a list of things I want, need, must or even might do, it can all get a bit messy.
It sort of reminds me of when children play super heroes. The powers get more and more extreme and the actual rescuing and action is replaced with a string of, ‘no stops’.
‘No! Stop! Pretend you hadn’t seen that because I was too fast for you to even look at!’
‘No! Stop! You can’t touch him remember he’s made of anti-ice!’
‘No! Stop! I’d already decided to use my laser blaster and so you can’t cross there!’
It’s probably great fun if you are an invisible fire-breathing super being with no limits. In fact, it’s probably essential. However, as much as I hate to admit it, I’ve probably played far too much in my 35 cape swishing years and zapping the baddies isn’t exactly what I should be doing right now.
The thing is that making a list of resolutions should ultimately be about getting things done, not stopping, starting, changing the rules and forgetting that you can’t actually fly. That just leaves you with a lot of insane scribbles and inky fingers.
I am still not sure how general to be without being vague and wiffley or how precise to be without setting myself up to fail. Anyway, this is what I came up with:
The Standard List
(Applicable in all weathers and costume. This is my typical ‘must try harder’ package.)
1. Be more organised.
2. Be on time.
3. Get fitter.
4. Live more (dream/worry less)
5. Be faster (more efficient, less ditsy and step away from the procrastination parade.)
The 2011 List
(This started off as a week by week plan and fortunately I decided to move to monthly after about week 5. This is certainly ambiguous in places, but if I hadn’t have stopped I would still be dabbling in the details and likely to miss a deadline of January 2015.
The reasoning behind this list is that at certain times we feel more one way than the other. I know that we are all different, but for me, I tend to be most productive first thing in the morning and last thing at night. I sprint better when it’s warmer and I jog better when it’s cool... well better for me. Better in this example is actually best described as less awful. Still, perhaps I am more shocking at some things in May and less frightful at others in October. That’s the theory.)
1. February – Confess and cleanse. (A detox by any other name? Well this one is more mind than body.)
2. March – Start running. (Both literally and figuratively, but not away from things that I actually need to face – in that I’m already a triple black belt and further practice is not required right now.)
3. April – MOT (My car’s MOT is due on April 16th so it seems a good a time as any to remind myself to check in as well. Of course there’s that health screening I keep thinking I’ll do a bit later, that ‘life audit’ I read about months ago and haven’t found the time for and the pet insurance that’s still in my maiden name. I could have called this action ‘bits and pieces’ but in this instance MOT might stand for ‘Most Overlooked Material’. Maybe I’ll even get round to cleaning those poor make-up brushes!)
4. May – Work, Rest and Play. (Now this has very little to do with managing the daily grind and eating masses of Mars bars. There is a part of me that thinks by May I should really be able to manage my time better. I mean I will have been back at work for over 4 months! Still, this is really a prompt for me to ensure that I am getting what I need and not just going through the motions. I have a few playful ideas floating around and May might just be the month to nab myself a crazy dream-catcher and pluck one or two of them out of the clouds.)
5. June – Enjoy! (This should be on every list and I will be sure to include it in as many as possible. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before – ‘Things to do Today’ – 1. Enjoy! Clearly it’s perfect as it is, but the reason for assigning this specifically to June is that it looks like there will be a lot going on. On the work front, June is the chosen month for the big changes to ‘go live’. I am just thinking about this now and my breathing has immediately become shorter and faster. It’s that horrible dizzy feeling of dread. Worrying about it incessantly doesn’t help to prepare you for tomorrow, it just strips away the joy you have today. That’s one of the reasons for ‘enjoy’. Even if the worst does waltz in, I’ll have been sure to enjoy every dance up until that one and then continue to keep moving my feet as well as I can. More obviously, ‘enjoy’ is for the other events of June - I have 10 days of blissful holiday booked, 7 of these will be spent in a cottage by the sea with Hoobiz, The Little Perfect One, Bat and Simona. It’s our wedding anniversary and then my birthday at the end of the month.)
6. July –Make The Most of It! (Well it’s that time to head into the second half of the year and whilst the days are slowly fading they are a lot longer than they are at almost any other time of the year. I’m good at a bit of half-way wobbles, so I need to remember that the year is actually half-full. Besides, even if I’m not at the mid-way marker, there’s still time if I ‘Make The Most of It’. A perfect time to remind myself to grab hold of it and squeeze out every last drop of golden shine. Get up, get out, get doing and get happy!)
7. August – Tell The Story. (Yes, that would be the tale of the Seven Bitches. It started at the end of August 2002, so it’s only fitting that August should be the month to get it all out in the open.)
8. September – Bring in the Crops! (Great things may have grown and if so they will need to be harvested. The truth is that I am not a consolidator by nature, in fact, I am horrible at it. Bundling loose ends up together just about finishes me off! I love starting something, but completing it is a very different skill. It’s a bit like saying goodbye somehow and I hate it when it’s time to leave. Of course if there isn’t a bumper yield, I’ll still need to till the fields and get my hands dirty finishing the job.)
9. October – Don’t be a Pumpkin! (Days are becoming a lot less fashionable as we drift into the winter months, but that’s not an excuse to slow down and hide under a big jumper! You know you feel better when you make an effort. So, do it!)
10. November – Remember! Remember! (This is very much a personal prompt rather than a reference to Guy Fawkes and his gun powder. Remember what you need to do and most importantly remember to do it! That’s what I’m hoping this will tell me...well, if I need it! No more deciding to make cards on Christmas Eve and posting them in the middle of January for me! I will be organised for New Year and the swarm of birthdays that follow it. I will have considered things like replies, baby sitters and booking holiday. I will know that the car insurance is due, the boiler needs a service and have non-summer clothes to wear. Oh and shoes! Yes, unless we have some freaky weather I’ll need to remember that it’s time to pack away the sandals. I do love having my big feet out, but there is a time and a place. Bring out the party shoes!)
11. December – Stay Calm and Take it as it Comes! (The festive season can sometimes rush at me like a sparring blur of panic and regret. I suspect it’s like that for a lot of people. It’s that wicked old harlot – expectation! She just loves to throw her sweaty thigh boots into the ring. Well, that’s exactly the madam I want to avoid this year. To be honest, the madam I really want to cross of the Christmas guest list is the one I become when I just spin around worrying about what I haven’t done. I think it will be a lot merrier for all!)
12. January – Review. ( Ha! Ha! I think that’s just my way of saying that I can’t actually think that far ahead.)
The Wish List
This is the one I’m just not brave enough to share.
Well, you know what they say about wishes... best not say a word.
