I love looking back on the past. I'm one of those people who watches the same movies and television shows over and over. Tonight, for instance, we watched Harold and Maude for the hundredth time. I read Pride and Prejudice at least once a year. My copy lost its front cover long ago and I refuse to part with it until I have another copy in the house. Each time I rewatch or reread, I see something new.
Things I'm grateful for in 2012
- Our new house and the life it's given us. Thanks to our new abode, we have at least 40 extra minutes each day. We have walkable and runnable streets, woods a minute away, and a library within walking distance.
- My family. Jenn turned our house into a home in just a few months while I lazed around using my large belly as a really useful but not easily replicable excuse. She turned a boring blank slate of a yard into edible beauty. She held my hand (literally and figuratively) through Alfie's arrival and proved yet again what a great mom she is. Bambino has grown up so much this year! He says the most kind and funny things ("I know that. I'm a smart boy." "Thank you for buying a minivan, Mama. I love it." "Parents, I'm going outside to play!" "I'm so glad you're a runner, Mommy. Now you are adorable.") He is a great big brother and has only fallen on Alfie twice. Speaking of Alfie, I am so grateful for her. She's really been around all year, but we finally met her in April. Since then, she has grown and changed and quickly learned that to keep up with brother, she's got to be loud and fast.
- The minivan. I love our minivan. It has taken us to Memphis, New Jersey, Alexandria, and several places in between. Bambino can watch movies with headphones, there's room for extra family visiting, and the back-up camera is fun to play with, too.
- Work. There are many moments when I wish I would win the lottery and never have to work again, especially with a young child around, but I do love my job. I teach bright, eager students about things I love. My coworkers are kind and knowledgeable. And thanks to the move, work is only 5 minutes away at most.
- Our church. We've attended Saint Andrew's for about five years and it has become a large part of our life. I'm thankful that it is such a nurturing place for our family: Bambino loves the nursery, Children's Chapel, Vacation Bible School, and all of his friends. I love that he loves it, but I also appreciate good preaching and good fellowship.
I'm sure I've forgotten something, or several things. I'm grateful for a lot; my life is pretty great.
Looking back also means reflecting on how last year's goals turned out. Here were my goals from last year's New Years Resolutions Post:
- run consistently as long as possible before Alfie's arrival and get back into running six weeks after, if all goes well
- run a half-marathon in October
- do a pull-up! come on, it can't be that hard.
How did I do?
- run consistently as long as possible before Alfie's arrival: check! I ran often, at my pace, and joyfully.
- ...and get back into running six weeks after: check! I got back to running about three weeks after because I felt so good. No reason to wait.
- run a half-marathon in October- check! Ran with Dad.
- do a pull-up- NOPE! Every year this is a goal. Every year I fail.
My resolutions for 2012 were all about fitness, and I excelled at the running ones. I've become a more consistent runner, which made this pregnancy, birth, and recovery pretty easy. The baby weight came off, albeit slowly, and I fit into most of my regular clothes now.
So other than the pull-up, I did well. I've had "do a pull-up" as a resolution for the last several years. I have this goal, but I have no way to get there, so I ignore it until the next year. I think a lot of people feel this way about exercise in general. When you have a resolution like, "I'm going to exercise more" or "I'm going to lose weight" without a clear plan, failure often follows. This year, I will once again resolve to do a pull-up, but I'll also ask for guidance from a real person, not Youtube, about how to achieve it.
All of my resolutions last year were on the surface: do this, do this more, etc., but I want to go somewhere different this year. I want to work on the attitudes beneath the actions.
2013 Resolutions:
- Be present. This is really hard for me. I plan, reflect, worry, and imagine, which are great in moderation but not very effective for being a good friend, partner, or parent. I'll need to remind myself every day, at least in the beginning. Being present will mean no electronics when playing with the kiddos, really listening instead of waiting to speak (I'm bad about this!), and cutting back on the planning. I procrastinate by making running plans, budgets, weekly schedules, or anything else like that. It's fun because it's theoretical and lets me control all of the variables, but that makes it unrealistic and counterproductive. Be present might become my mantra this year.
- Run consistently but not exclusively. Take time for strength training, yoga, and other cross training.
I also have some goals for the year. I think it's better to separate resolutions, which are decisions to do or not do something, from goals, which are achievements towards which we work.
2013 Goals:
- Do a $@#@-#$!! pull-up. This is the year. It's going to happen!
- Run 1,000 miles. I ran 580 or so in 2012, and that was with having a baby. I ran 91 miles in December, so this goal shouldn't be too hard.
- sub-22:00 5k. This is one audacious goal considering the fastest I've run is 22:04 in 2011 and I had a baby in 2012, but I think it's feasible. I'm in marathon mode until May 5, but after that I can spend the summer getting faster.
- Blog regularly. This is my running log, my journal. I need to post at least once a week, and after every race.
That's all, folks! Goodbye to 2012, and welcome to 2013! What are your resolutions?
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