Working Out Wednesday for the New Year

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Happy New Year!

What do you feel you need to work out for 2025?

You don't need to share your answers but it might be helpful to write them down somewhere in order to get your head around the fact that we've just entered a New Year.

Once you have your list, recognize these are likely your goals for this year and set about making a plan to work these things out.

You may find you will keep working the plan you have set already (I'm thinking of Harriet.)

It might be about identifying the steps that will lead to working things out (I'm thinking of me.)

Whatever, I scrapped my original title for today (A Wishful Wednesday) because I can wish and wish and not make any changes in my life. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said 'A goal without a plan is just a wish.'

If you can find the strength to move beyond wishes, then work out what goals you want for this year. If you already know your goals, make sure you have a plan that helps you work towards achieving them.

Venus Williams said "I don't focus on what I'm up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest."

I think one of the things I need to work out this year is how to ignore the rest....

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

While I absolutely fail to ignore distractions specifically, Wikipedia....

I'm fascinated that there may be a really good reason we refocus ourselves at this time of year.

January is named after the Roman God Janus.

In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces.

Janus frequently symbolized change and transitions such as the progress of past to future, from one condition to another, from one vision to another, and young people's growth to adulthood. He represented time because he could see into the past with one face and into the future with the other.

So now I feel slightly less bullied by popular culture when I start my planning. This whole "new beginning" stuff has been part of January 1, since 45BCE.

[Nancy]

Happy New Year! We got a skiff of snow it's melted more coming down and another band coming in 20 min. 31* F.
Today's goals up did that.
Walk about in the basements x
Take Cmas sweater downstairs x

Found a box shaped basket with a lid & latch I will try using for my cards it was on the shelf downstairs!
I have a cape I did edging on last nite that needs some ties I'll do crocheted chain for the today that is my goal.

Sipping coffee
Rx X xx
qt x
planner set up x
Prayer journal working on this getting set up first entry made. x
[Heard one firework today that is a no no.]
brunch x
Done to here.
s2s

Waving thanks K in C for the start today.

[CathyS]

Thank you for that perfect start Kathryn!!

I have been up since 5:00! I woke up because I had to go to the bathroom. I swung my feet off the bed, put the right foot down and UGH!! I stepped in something. Turned on the light... one of the cat's had been sick. Right were I put my foot down! Yuck!!

Oops... wandered off to do something and then I sat down to stitch for a bit. Dh is now up and watching tv. He had his coffee and I finished my hot tea.

Supper tonight will be spaghetti and meat sauce. I want it. I didn't give dh much of a choice in the matter. LOL!

[blessedw2]

Happy New years!
thank you for starting us on the path of a new year!!!

hi d Kathryn, d cathy, d Nancy.

d dog Gracie is a very good retriever - I don't need a broom to sweep in the new year in and old year out - I have a lab who brings things that are left from the old year - things on the floor (she does every morning). so far I have received dog bowls, my gym shoes, mom's clogs, assorted socks, and a couple Kleenex's from moms area. She is so proud - a nice way to start the year with a couple of good dogs.

dh and I and mom got a phone call from dd's to wish us a happy new years at Florida's midnight. Always nice!

I haven't thought of a word for the year yet. I has to be something that has to be happy, positive and energizing.

[Twins' Mom]

Happy New Year!

I spent some time yesterday with therapist discussing changes for 2025. One is to get bonus room cleaned up - so it's a more pleasant place to work and hang out. And getting past the perfectionism and ADD to actually finish and submit articles for publication - won't be a publication like the Q but Tennessee based. I need to have my mind ready to have dh underfoot and the two of us not burn the house down or something. I have a DAR course I need to do soon. And I need to work on dog training consistently. And I hope she, the therapist, will help me keep up with all of it. And I haven't mentioned getting back to my twice a week workouts and continuing to lose weight.

I have a bit of 2024 PTSD. It's been quite the year. I am aware I have PTSD following the fall in Amsterdam. I am super slow going down unfamiliar steps now. Yesterday I had a bit of a feeling that I was falling on my steps here at home. Perhaps my foot didn't come down where it was supposed to and set me off.

It sounds pretty ambitious. I'm with you, Kathryn, on figuring out the steps and implementing them. I know the traditional advice to eat the elephant - one bite at a time, but I get overwhelmed. Must look for smaller bites! (Like Dee said, "Begun is half done -SO! JUST BEGIN!!"

Dh has been up forever, ddog has walked with him and things are quiet here. I think I'm going to sneak upstairs and work on straighten up a bit...

Love your description of Gracie, bw2. Thinking of word for 2025 and it might be healing.

Cathy, nothing moves me faster than a cat or dog barfing in the night. So sorry yours was deposited without warning. Nothing worse than cold throw up, either. (Imagine that green throw up phone icon here.)

Snow, Nancy! I know it's commonplace for so many here but I'd love to see some.

Heading upstairs.

[Lady Maverick]

Happy New Year!

Kathryn - Thank you for the start today and sharing those wise words.

I am trying to take full advantage of the change of pace that Christmas break allows. There is a tiny part of me that argues with hours/days of wasting time by not having a focus. . There is so much that I could be doing.
But I am managing to hang on to my slow pace during this break by acknowledging It will soon be over, and I won't have the same options.

There is another tiny part of me that acknowledges raising 2 teenagers and monitoring an adult with diminishing mental capability doesn't really qualify as taking it easy. I don't think I had a solid hour of complete down time during Christmas break yet. I have tried but there is always someone needing something. However, the timely must-dos are greatly reduced during Christmas break, and I will embrace that change of pace and enjoy it!

[Nancy]

I have worked out how to charge up the hand warmers I got for Christmas.
They have an adapter cord for both to plug in to a phone charger -
I use one that I just set my phone on that did not work.
So I had to dig out one of the others I'd gotten for when grands are over take that cord out and
put the other one it and the hand warmers are not under the tree on the power strip charging up.
The little green lite is running.

Got a email about a auto pay I cannot figure out who it's to
another open will have to wait but I am suspecting a scam.
It's for apple pay that I do not use so a good thing.

[Ramblinrose]

I haven’t even had time to think about this new year. I finally took a shower and washed my hair. Had hopes of doing a grocery run, but after taking my shower decided to put that off till tomorrow

LadyM… something that’s been on my mind since you told us abt Ds16 expensive dinner experience. Next time he decides to take his gf out to eat, have him look up the restaurants dinner menu and prices before hand. That way he can make better choices.

[Lady Maverick]

RR - good advice. Thanks for sharing.

It is a balancing act to watch and stay silent with DS16 making financial decisions that I would do differently. My overall goal is for DS16 to be able to manage his finances well as an adult. I am okay with him making some blunders now and learning from them. He seems to be in a season of never ending opportunity to make "less than best" decision and learn from them. Right now DS16 has one of his pickups being worked on by a mechanic. Every day their is another decision to make about additional parts & labor. I am encouraging DS16 to evaluate it not in terms of money but time it takes him to earn it. Example - Do you want to work for an entire week and give your entire paycheck to purchase that part? Also we discuss that if he makes a single mistake while driving it could result in the pickup being a total loss. We don't carry collision insurance so a wreck could mean he loses that pickup and all the new parts he is putting on it. I just got off the phone with DS16 ask he explained why he approved the part store to express ship the current part. DS16 is paying $57 in shipping fees to get that part here tomorrow instead of 2 days. Would I have made that decision? absolutely not. It is a process for him to learn.

DS16 made good decisions last night with NYE celebration. Some of his friends were partying with intention of getting drunk. One of DS16 friends posted this morning "I have already ruined 2025". I am not sure what that means. ANYway, this gives me a bit of perspective.....DS16 made good decisions last night so his decision to spend $57 on shipping seems easily recoverable.

I spent some time in the kitchen.
** Two pots of black eyed peas cooked. One pot is plain and the other some pot has some vegetables and spices added.
** Smoke sausages. Two containers of those. One is gentley cooked and the other is cooked until it has black goey crust IYKWIM
** Corn bread

While writing this DS16 called twice. The second call was asking if I would fix him a lunch plate because he is short on time. His favorite lunch is 2 baked potates smashed and covered with cheese. He will add sauces to the hot potato and cheesy lunch plate.