Happy New Year -- Feliz Año Nuevo

What are your resolutions for 2014? Be healthier, read more, eat more healthy, exercise or just generally be a better person?  How’s your will power? Will you persist or fall off the wagon by the end of January?

We are one week into 2014 and already it’s speeding by and I find I have far too many things to get done. I’ve not been able to catch up since my trip to Spain and am constantly mixed up with what day it is, what date and what’s the date for my deadlines. But I did make a list of resolutions for 2014. I’m a list-maker extraordinaire so this is nothing new. Although this exercise did make me wonder - why do people make New Year resolutions? Are these any different than goals that can be set at any time of the year?

One of my resolutions is to connect more often with friends and family. I don’t mean always by text or email as the younger generation (hence my family) is so fond of, although I now have dozens of new friends on Facebook. Most of these new friends are from Spain so it’s encouraging me to keep at my Spanish lessons so I can keep up with what they are posting. In order to increase my Spanish, I’m continuing my lessons on a weekly basis.

I started off this year by spending New Year’s eve with my husband and a couple of grandsons watching the fireworks over Annapolis (7.30 - early version for children), followed by ice cream and a candied apple. It was a great evening but both grandsons fell asleep before the ball in New York dropped! Then we met another grandson and his mom and dad for a visit to the Science Museum in Baltimore a couple of days later.  I’ve connected with a cousin in Colorado whom I’ve not seen in far too long and we shared a quick recap of the last 50 years. I’ve promised to visit him and his family this year. This is a “have to” because his dad, my “favorite uncle", is now 98 and I want to spend some time with him.

Actually, my “connect resolution” began last year when I visited the UK and spent time with friends that I’d not seen for a while. We didn’t have much time but it was nice to be able to catch up with them for a couple of days. I always find it amazing that with really good friends, you can pick up exactly where you’ve left off and the years slip away.

Other resolutions include taking more classes in addition to my Spanish so I’ve already signed up for several classes at the Community College. I’ve chosen an incredibly eclectic range from cooking and nutrition to Interior Design (only a quick workshop) to weight training. It’s a broad range, I know, but I just have too many interests to try and cover and I had to fit all these in before starting my contract in Delaware in March. I’ve also signed up for a few workshops not related to the university and again, totally different topics so I should keep busy the next couple of months.

As always, travel is one of my resolutions and I already have several trips in the works. The first is a trip to Mexico this Saturday to again look for housing. We have a couple of new places to look at this time but we have narrowed down the area. When working this spring, I’ll be tied to an office during the week – scary thought as I’ve not done this for a very long time – but my daughter and I have already agreed to a yoga/spa weekend and a trip to New York. And I have the conferences in June, which will mean travel the first 2 weeks of that month. Then it will be a trip to San Antonio and I’m really hoping that I can do another trip to Spain this autumn.

So – for you is it resolutions or goals for 2014? For me “resolution” has a connotation that it’s a temporary thing and not a permanent change. The word resolution kind of sets me up to only adhere to whatever the “written resolution” is for a short time and then I’m on about my normal day-to-day schedule to not think about it again. When I write out my list, I tend to think more in long term goals that I’d like to become a permanent change in my life.

 

What about you? Have you made some 2014 resolutions/goals? What inspired you to make those resolutions or goals for 2014? When thinking about the upcoming year, think about these sayings: 

"Do or Do Not – There is no try. – Yoda 

"The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."  
Chinese Proverb

I want to wish you a very happy New Year (or Feliz Año Nuevo for my Spanish friends) and to wish you health, happiness and success this coming year.