Hopes for 2018

Do you make New Years Resolutions? I haven't made a real resolution in a few years... all that pressure, I always lose steam by about January 3rd. I do take time to reflect on the year and what went well and what could be better; then I try to create a few focus words or phrases to help usher in the new year. Of course, some years I've forgotten my words by February, but other times they've been a consistent reminder.

This year I used Canva to create an image with my phrases to use as my computer background for awhile or maybe my phone background later. It's a super easy program, so I may end up changing how it looks as the year goes on. We'll see.

Maybe my biggest accomplishment of 2017 is improving my relationship with my body. I feel more confident, less obsessed with the # on the scale, less obsessed with food in general. I am stronger. I am healthier. I am better at listening to my body. . . . but I am still horrible at drinking water. Like, I'm lucky if I drink 8oz of water in a day. For a few weeks I was consistently drinking 64oz a day, and I honestly felt better. So I'm going to try to listen to my body and hydrate in 2018. (Small goals: Drink a glass when I wake up, drink my hospital jug by lunchtime, then one more jug by the time I go to bed.)

This wasn't really an issue in 2017, but since I have limited time for self-care (other than Jazzercise which Scott is awesome about letting me go to 5x/week), I want to make sure the time I do have is purposeful. Being alone refreshes me, but not if I am just spending an hour looking at Facebook, and Instagram, and Snapchat, and Twitter, and repeat. I hope to spend more time just being still by reading, through prayer, through art and creativity. My anxiety also creeps in when I do get the chance to be still, so I am giving myself permission to just be still & present in the moments. 

It's always about this point in the school year when things get frustrating at school: the weather is gross, kids stop doing homework, I stress out with how much is left to teach, and we all get a bit annoyed with each other to be honest. I want to be more patient with my students. But also with my children and husband.

Lastly, 4.5 years and two kids into marriage, sometimes I get so bogged down in the to-do lists, schedules, and tasks involved in keeping a house together that I forget to enjoy life with my favorite person. I mean, when I was student teaching I would get to school by 7am, teach all day, grade/plan into the evening, then go over to his apartment to finish grading/planning at 10pm just so I could see him for an hour before going to bed. I like my husband. He's fun. I chose to do life with him. Unfortunately, sometimes I forget that and I don't treat him like my best friend. So my last phrase for 2018 is to remember to have fun loving him. 

Our NYEs have definitely calmed down since our college days, so I think we're going to split a bottle of champagne, order Olive Garden to-go, and spend some time reflecting on 2017 and looking ahead to the next year. Last year I made some artsy little question note cards that we took turns answering before putting them in my SMASH book to document for future posterity. 

Wishing you a wonderful 2018!