Twenty-One Goals for 2021

I love goals and lists to check off. I am a planner. Last year was a hard year to be a planner. I suspect that this year is going to be as well. I came up with a few daily goals, a few long-term broad goals and  goals to improve our home. It is fine if I don't get through them all. I really treat them more as reminders. 

Daily Goals ~ 

• Drink more water ~ I hope to drink a minimum of 40 ounces a day. So far, I have accomplished that most days.
• Walk 800 miles by the end of the year ~ I have walked 10 miles so far this year. That is a slow start for me. Winter is hard. The best time for me to walk is when my daughter is in dance classes downtown at night. My city is not very safe to walk around at night. There are many desperate homeless people as well as strange people exhibiting mental problems, and there are very few stores open to pop into if I get nervous. I will start making more progress when it gets lighter in the evenings. We are also trying to take more family walks on the weekends. 
• Take care of my skin ~ This should be an easy goal. I am mostly in the habit already of putting on sunscreen and lotion daily.
• Read 12 Books ~ I enjoy books but never seem to prioritize them. I hope to accomplish that this year. I am currently reading The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison. It is okay. I am not a huge fan, but it is an easy enough read and I am half way through. 
• Convert the rest of my blog into book form ~ This goal will really depend on availability of money. Each book costs a bit over $100 and I am four  years behind right now. We will see how far I get.
• Take photos for a Billion Graves ~ This combines my love of photography, doing service and graveyards.  
• Learn to use my Dad's last professional camera that I received after his death ~ I need to buy the charger and I will be on my way.

Broad Long-Term Goals ~ I say broad goals because they are open ended. Each one has an ideal or dream plan versus a realistic plan.

• Travel to a different city at Christmastime ~ I love visiting different cities at Christmastime. We have visited Washington, D.C., Knoxville, Tennessee, and Greenville, South Carolina at Christmastime in the last few years. We didn't visit anywhere in 2020 for obvious reasons. 
• No Buying Month ~ I do this most years in January or February. I am not sure when I will do this in 2021. I do buy the essentials such as groceries and gas. I just don't buy any extras. 
• Visit a new-to-us state park ~ When my husband and I were thinking about travel this year, we just stated to nervously giggle. Who knows what is to come? It isn't looking like a fantastic year to travel at the moment. However, outdoor places are possibilities. There are state parks far and near that we have never seen. I am sure we can manage to visit one of them. 
• Visit a new-to-us national park or site ~ We have a dream one in mind, but I suspect that a more reasonable one will be our destination.
• Take an overnight or weekend trip with the family ~ or a week long trip ~ Ha! There are some destinations that are a short distance away that we have never seen. We shall see if they can happen. 
• Do something new every month with the family ~ This could be as simple as a new game, new hike or takeout from a new-to-us restaurant. It also could be a totally new experience such a going on a horseback ride together (most of us know how to ride a tiny bit).

Goals for the House ~ These really depend on how much money and time I can invest into them. We made a huge amount of progress in 2020. We replaced the 1970's garage door, had tons of work done on our trees and I painted the stairwell, banister, all the woodwork in the boy's bathroom, and most of the ceilings in the house. When this pandemic is over, I think my kids are going to remember me as the mom with a paint brush in her hand

• Paint the laundry room ~ This one is a huge undertaking and makes me want to faint just to think about it. However, I know it would vastly improve the place. It is very old and dirty cinderblock that has never been painted in some areas or in other areas was painted in a sickening green.
• Replace two or three doors in the house ~ We really could use to replace six doors so I have lots of options. 
• Declutter 365 items from our home ~ This will be an easy goal. I have already gotten rid of 31 items this year. 
• Replace our bedroom curtains with shades ~ Our curtains are getting pretty worn. 
• Paint the kitchen ceiling  
• Paint the dining room ceiling  
• Make rec room into a useful and comfortable space ~ We are actively working on this project now. It is an underused space and an overflow area in our home where lost items get dumped. It is also where we enter the home, and it is not the nicest space to see when you get home. We are turning it into a multi-purpose room with a sewing area, the model building area for my young men, a closet area and a cat corner with comfortable seating. The cats love to chase their toys around in the big empty space, and we find ourselves sitting on the cold floor while we watch them.
• Paint the breakfast bar ~ Accomplished this week! CHECK!

Update ~ We got to adopt our foster cat this week. She is settling in well. She is getting along well with Salem and tentatively working out a friendship with Rosie. She is new to the concept of play and thinks that play is like a gentle waltz where you circle each other and kiss noses. Salem is still a kitten and thinks play is a full pro-wrestling event. It is a riot to watch them figure it out. The shelter folk said they really believe she was dumped in our neighborhood. She had caps on her nails (so she couldn't defend herself) and hadn't been spayed. Poor thing. She is recovering from her spay surgery and adding joy into our home. We named her Eve because she ran up to me on New Year's eve. 

Blessings, Dawn