It has been decided...

It's been a few days since I've posted. I became a bit sidetracked with holidays, layoffs, hospital visits and computer problems. Between those things, I've also managed to have some fun - went to Portland Revels, saw The Hobbit, took a drive through the Gorge, did a bunch of cooking that I normally don't have time to do, had friends over for Christmas and then celebrated Christmas with other friends last night. On the way over, I realized that we have known each other for 25 years. Because we did not meet in utero, this makes me feel old - old and lucky.

The truth is that even if I sometimes feel emotionally dramatic, I have a pretty good life. It's not perfect (I'm too fat, have too many bills, the kitchen in my house was designed by blind monkeys, etc.), but it is a good life, often even a great one. Like everyone else in the world, just before New Year's Day, I'm thinking about what changes could help put more checks in the great column.

The things is that I really don't like new year's resolutions. What I do like is the idea of doing goal setting for the full year and breaking that down into small quarterly resolutions (aka steps) that will get me there. When I think of it that way, there are three big areas I'd like to focus on this year:

• Health
• Finances
• Creativity

Health: My biggest health complaint is that I am overweight and out of shape. It seems like every year, I (like half the world) resolve to lose weight and get in shape. I make big plans and then lose steam. This year, I am keeping it simpler. I want to lose twenty pounds, ideally by my birthday in March. If I can lose more, that's great, but for now my plan is simply to lose 20 lbs.To that end I am starting off the new year doing a 3-day cleanse, followed by a diet. I think I've tried about every fad diet, shake, powder, pill ever invented. It's all great for a month or two, but then peters out, because you can't live like that long-term.  My plan is simply to eat real, non-processed food, cut out as much sugar and white flour as possible, limit eating out to once per week, and go for a lot of walks. I'll let you know how it goes.

Finances: Compared to a lot of people, I don't really have that much credit card debt. Still, the more unstable my work environment feels the more weighed down I feel by the debt that I do have. It doesn't help that I recently charged a new camera and, even recently, a new laptop after Tedzilla (my sweet, giant labradoodle) knocked a drink on my old laptop in a fit of wiggly-waggely joy. So, I am going to set up a budget that includes making some higher payments on my biggest credit card to pay it off and also putting away a little more into my almost non-existence emergency fund.

Creativity: This one is really more of a list of (probably on-going) projects I'd like to complete this year than a specific goal:

• Look for inspiration by attending and participating in events that motivate me to make things (go to concerts, take a class visit art exhibits, get out in nature, etc.)
• Set aside some time every day (ok, MOST days) to write
• Make a little music (most) every day
• Recommit to the art project I was doing with my friend Jen and her sister
• Blog every day for the month of January (I started this in December, but it fizzled somewhere around the middle)
• Make a quilt
• Come up with a project to justify recent purchase of cool, new camera
• Come up with a project to make my health goal more fun and do some trackig of it (I already bought the journal for it!)

So, those are my goals for 2013. They are (like everything) subject to change, for I am nothing if not flexible, but I think they are a good manageable set of tasks that will set my 2013 off in the right direction.

But, for now, I have to go say a fond farewell for 2012. Wherever you are and whatever you're doing, I hope your New Year's Eve is a good one.