Hello dollies!! Have had to work all day Sunday to get this post finished up and published before we are into our second month of the year. Thought I would devote an individual post to each of the topics…Winter Goals in one, Winter Bucket List in a second post and my 2023 WOTY in a third. But at this late date, that was clearly not going to happen before 02.01.2023. So, instead I give you this Duke’s Mixture…a combo post.
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Winter 2023 Goals
Making seasonal goals works better for me than New Year’s resolutions that I lose track of before the second week of the year. If I get my goals scribbled onto my goal blackboard in some sort of shorthand, it puts them out where I see them as I begin my day. Need to make doing that one of my goals!!
Divided my goals into 2 categories. Things that are external I categorized under House. Goals specifically affect me, my body, my personality I categorized under Home.
House
- organize loft after flooring project is finished, purge books
- purge and organize scrapbooking supplies
- clean garage, go through seasonal bins and purge
- clean kitchen, toss expired food, unused gadgets, drinking glasses
- purge clothes – seriously, using Alison’s guidelines:
1️⃣ Have I worn it in the past year?
2️⃣ Is it a classic piece that will stay in style?
3️⃣ Is it still in good condition?
4️⃣ Do I feel good when I wear this?
5️⃣ Does it fit?
6️⃣ Would I buy this again?
- gather things for yard sale, add to my Poshmark closet
Home
- get up early for quiet time 3X a week, finish reading Faith that Moves Mountains by Harris Faulkner; continue using my Prayer Journal for Women: 52 Week Scripture, Devotional & Guided Prayer Journal each week
- meet my Supernatural goal of 4X a week, 140 calories, 25 minutes
- find time for sit-ups, leg lifts, weights 2X a week
- jog on the treadmill 2X a week, 15 minutes a time; try to get back to running 1.5 miles in 15 minutes
- work my way through at least 25% of Creative Live “Writing Your Story” with Joyce Maynard
- listen to The Power of Writing It Down by Allison Fallon on Chirp and work through exercises
- join church writing group, “Let’s Write” and attend at least 3 meetings
Winter 2023 Bucket List
- “Alice in Wonderland” at El Paso Playhouse
- “Cinderella” ballet at Plaza Theater
- celebrate PC’s birthday on 02.28.2023 and Lucia’s birthday on 03.18.2023
- McKelligon walk or similar hike
- winter 2023 photo challenge; share some of the photographs of Tyre Nichols
- reading challenge on Goodreads – staying caught up; are we friends on Goodreads?
- scrap Santa Fe, Declan’s birth
- attend Kiwi Lane online new release and scrapbooking party
- “Come Read With Me” book club Zoom in honor of 125 members
- pub crawl or sample and compare Margaritas at several places
- try 3-4 different restaurants for dessert and/or breakfast
- sample several crockpot meal prep packages from Crockstar Dinner Club
So those are my bucket list items. Now to have a quick look at my 2023 WOTY.
Word of the Year
My word of the year for 2022 was flow. As I wrote in this early 2022 post, I wanted a word that indicated my desire to try to balance everything in my life. A word that would remind me to be less rigid. A word that would prompt me to be more optimistic. Happier, more content. Able to roll with the punches. The word I selected is flow.
As in:
- go with the flow
- ebb and flow
- get my creative juices flowing
- improve my cash flow
- find my flow and rhythm
- my heart overflows
At the suggestion of one of my blogging friends, Pat at Retirement Reflections, I looked into finding some fluorite beads. A crystal recognized for ‘unblock[ing] stagnant energy and promot[ing] energetic flow.’ [source] I ordered a set of purple-green fluorite beads on Amazon and wore them almost every day. While I didn’t write much about my WOTY, I thought about it daily. Largely due to the beads I put on every morning. Thank you, Pat.
Last year was the 4th difficult year my family has had in a row. In 2022, I didn’t always go with the flow. Struggled to find my rhythm. But I was more aware of attempting to flow. That counts for something.
2023 WOTY: Consistent
I tried to find a prettier synonym for consistent but none of the words that I liked really meant what I am looking for in my 2023 word of the year.
There is:
- unfailing but I would be setting myself up for failure by choosing unfailing as I am human and bound to fail!!
- steady but I can be up and down and all over the place all in an hour’s time…steady I’m not
- logical? rational? Not me.
What I hope to accomplish by selecting this word is more consistency in all areas of my life. To continue to work on going with the flow so that I can consistently write, craft, exercise, eat well = Enjoy Life. Wonder if there are beads I can buy to help me with that??
Your Turn
Did you set any new year’s intentions or resolutions? Maybe some seasonal goals? Or a bucket list? Did all of the above like I did? In any case, I hope we can cheer each other on to a successful 2023.
Glad to be home all week until Friday when I sub for the art teacher at Lucia’s school. Will have Lucia’s class and the other first graders I came to know last year when they were kinders. Hope to enjoy my time at home and to work on all of the stuff I’ve outlined in this post.
Thank you for spending a few minutes with me today. Enjoy your first days of February.
Hugs and kisses,
Wow! You set some amazing goals. I love your word from last year!!! I need to flow more in lots of ways!!
I need to keep last year’s WOTY in mind when a monkey wrench gets thrown into my day. Probably should have just kept flow as my word forever and eternity.
As usual you have a great list of goals! I hope 2023 marks the end of your streak of difficult years.
What a great list of goals!! I tried Googling synonyms for flow to see if I could find you a good word but really didn’t come with anything… I’ll keep thinking though!
Thank you, sweet friend. I am trying hard to find some consistency in my life. I love routine. But I struggle to have 2 days in a row that allow me to do things when I want to. There is always something that comes up.
You have a lot of great goals and some birthdays to celebrate too! I have been having such a great time with my Bible study goal. I’m doing the Bible Recap and I LOVE it! It is helping me to understand the Bible so much and it makes it fun. I just did a quick clean out of our garage last fall before it got too cold and I’m SO glad I did. Except someone spilled something like dark cola or tea in our garage fridge and its inside the glass creases, etc. so dang it… I’ll have to figure out how to clean that all out once it warms up. Always two steps forward and one back! Ha, ha!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Hi, Leslie! Great goals! I myself did not make any resolutions, goals, or bucket list. Guess I really am just going with the flow! I’ve also never done a WOTY, but I think your word “consistent” for 2023 is very admirable!
As far as purging those books, do you know about Paperback Swap? My oldest sister introduced me to it several years ago, and I’ve been a member for quite a few years now. May be worth your while to look into it. If you end up deciding to sign up, I have some extra credits I can gift to you.
Thank you so much for the idea of Paperback Swap. Let me look into that. I did take a number of books to our little free library. And had a brand-new children’s book that I just took to our public library thinking they might add it to their collection. Off to check out Paperback Swap. XO
That’s an interesting word for the year Leslie. I do think it can help us with our goals to have one and think about it often.
A couple of years ago I had the word Grace. Because as a Type A personality, I would always beat myself up for not being perfect. Which cracks me up the more I think about it because NO ONE is perfect.
OXOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Type A over here, too. But I slip off the bandwagon at times. Which might be healthier!!
Hi Leslie – I’m not a list maker and certainly not a bucket list maker – they feel a bit like resolutions to me – where I set myself up with all these expectations and end up focusing on the ones I missed – instead of celebrating the ones I ticked (I’m a sad and sorry case I know!) That being said, I love how many great aspirations you have for the season (and I also want to know how women look so gorgeous these days after giving birth – I looked like a wrung out dishcloth!) Enjoy all your challenges and good luck with your new #WOTY. Happy 2023!
I have to be careful with my lists and goals that I don’t hurry through doing whatever it is without enjoying the activity. Not sure how much pleasure cleaning the kitchen thoroughly can bring. But the end result…a clean kitchen…should bring some joy or at least a sense of accomplishment. And I need to revel in that a few minutes before pressuring myself to start on the next project.
Leslie, I have not selected a WOTY for a few years, and decided to not pick one again. I understand why people do and might in the future. I loved Flow and am curious how Consistent will play out for you.
I continue to use seasonal lists. This winters had a lot of things I do regularly…. which is turning out to be a good thing as I struggle with my mom’s move and finding a rhythm. She went from being in quarantine with COVID and dealing with lack of stimulation to being quite ill with some sort of intestinal issue (it’s not resolved yet, so not sure exactly what it is yet!). I visited her daily while she was in quarantine because they did let me be in her room with her – masked. Now, I’m still with her daily as she is so sic, and for even longer times. My own routines are gone. I expect you understand this well as you’ve dealt with family health crisis multiple times!
Oh, Pat, have thought of you so often over the last couple of weeks. We both like routines and like things done a certain way and in a timely manner and I feel for you having your life turned upside again. Was so proud of the way you’ve made your way since the move. From my place on the couch over here, it looked like 2021 was a good year for you. Hope that you can just get through the next few months and that by the time summer arrives, you can settle back into your own life.
I really wish I was as organized as you! I keep meaning to make up bucket lists, but I’m more a fly by the seat of my pants kinda gurl!!! I would love to see Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella. I’d love to just go somewhere!
I’m so sorry the last four years have been tough. I know last year was especially heartbreaking. But, here’s to a positive and happy 2023! I love your word of the year. Again, I’m too inconsistent (see I’m the opposite of you) to remember I even had one!
I love seeing your grandbabies!!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
Thank you. I love my grandbabies, so. And can’t get enough of them. Could just blog about them and be very happy!!
I wish I could be more flexible in my planning. I feel so out of control when my day starts out off track. Like today. Paul stayed home til 11. And I felt so off-kilter. I started the laundry that I always try to do on Mondays and I did a work out, got supper started in the crockpot but he doesn’t like me to do anything while he is home. And that is irritating. Is your husband retired? I have forgotten. We are really going to have to get some counseling or advice on how to handle life once PC is retired.
You have a lot to do, think about, read etc.! I don’t set any goals, just go with the flow. I do have a lot of things like working out and eating healthy that is already sceduled in my life. Have a great day Leslie!
I would like to be able to better go with the flow but it is hard for me.
What a great post! I’m sure you are going to score all those goals in a consistently successful way! Sounds like you are going to be busy 🙂
You have a lot of fun things on your bucket list. Good luck with your goals as well!
Good luck with your running! I always find it calming in a weird way. It looks like you have some really good shows coming to El Paso! Good luck with your organizing and purging!
Thank you, friend. You and Carrie inspire me with the running. I signed up for a 5K – HAHAHA!! We shall see how that goes.
I prefer seasonal ‘goals’ too. Much more manageable and likely to be met : ) I friended you on Goodreads just now. I hope to get to a ballet this year too.
Oh my goodness Leslie – I got tired just reading your post. I just can’t do what I used to do, so I don’t plan that much ahead. It’s great that you do. It sounds like you’ve got it all in control.
Iris
We shall see how I do on my goals. Probably need to reread them and see how I am progressing!!
I greatly appreciate how you begin your year and seasons with well defined goals and purpose, Leslie!
I think of doing that, and NOT being a flybytheseatofmypants kind of girl, but I think–after 60 some odd years–I am what I am.
Then again, why not try it?! Is there some sort of penalty for changing direction, not completing everything or reprioritizing as life demands?
Hope 2023 begins a new string of great years with smooth sailing!
I am still feeling excited and encouraged about 2023 and we are six weeks in. I wish I could be a little more flexible or flybytheseatofmypants-ish. Today PC called in for the morning. It felt like he threw a monkey wrench into my whole day. I did get the laundry started, we did a short arm workout together, and I have supper going in the crockpot but having him home messes up what I wish could be my routine. He was off on Friday so that day was upside down, too, and is going to take a vacation day this Friday so he can enjoy a 4-day weekend with Presidents Day on Monday. Do you have trouble getting things done with the hubs around?
A great list of goals and I love the emphasis you have on creativity and writing. I’m keen to see how you go with that. As an aside, Writing It Down sounds like a good book. Consistency was one of the words I flirted with this year – I’m a great starter but struggle with consistency, commitment and focus. What was I saying again?
Oh, Joanne, The Power of Writing it Down, was so helpful. I know you are a seasoned and published author but the book had a number of helpful hints for getting unstuck and for making writing a habit.
I LOVE the word “consistent” for a word of the year. So many great ways to play with, and work with, it.
I hope I can be consistent with my word of the year…consistent!!
You have a lot of good goals! I feel like I am constantly cleaning my office. It tends to get used as a dumping ground, And I’m just not great about putting things away right away. Your bucket list is so much fun too! I just realized I haven’t made a winter bucket list yet. I should try to get on that. Consistent is a great word!
Hope you have created a winter bucket list and begun enjoying the activities on it.