For the last several years I have been pretty good about thinking about, selecting, and writing down resolutions at the beginning of the year complete with action plan. I have been less successful with actually keeping those resolutions, but overall I think I do okay at it.

Last year I had a single resolution: live deliberately, with passion and grace. I was not graceful for 365 days of the year, but I did much better than previous years; I felt I was more deliberate, more passionate, and moderately more graceful dealing with the hurdles and joys that were thrown my way. I am going to mark my 2015 resolution with a big, fat COMPLETE!

This year seems like a much bigger Fresh Start. Blue Eyes and I are finally living together, I’m  in a new state, new (to us) home, new work environment, new schedules and commitments and priorities. I have been working on a list of resolutions that will both stretch my physically and emotionally, but will also help solidify some positive patterns and habits.

2016 Resolutions

• Sweat four times per week: running, yoga, exercise class, whatever
  • For the first time in a decade I think I may join a gym, I think the interaction with other humans will be good for me after hours and hours of working at home by myself every day.
• Consistent meal planning and healthy eating
  • Mr. Blue Eyes and I are in this one together, we both have some nasty sugary/chips-and-salsa/mac-and-cheesy based habits we’d like to break.
• Consistent writing: blog, notebook, and/or personal journal (minimum 5 times per week)
  • I received a few empty notebooks as an early Christmas present and have been doing this for a few weeks already. I forgot how much I like writing down my thoughts and frustrations and dreams. And I mean writing, with an actual pen, in a leather-bound notebook
• Set and stick to household budget, bulk up savings and retirement plan
  • Living under one roof will drastically change our finances, we have a Budget Meeting already planned to figure this out. Sexy, no?
• Family camping trip with the kiddos
  • Bonus for a backpacking trip with gorgeous scenery involved
• Visit two new National Parks
  • Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
  • Saguaro National Park, Arizona
• Learn Spanish
  • Ok, I know I can’t become fluent in one year, but I want to work on improving my skills regularly, and hopefully by this time next year I will be more conversant. (Blue Eyes gave me the Rosetta Stone-Spanish box-set for Christmas and a coworker has promised to practice with me, this is a calculated move!)

Looking over this list, it seems like most of my resolutions fall under the key word consistency. Consistent exercising, consistent healthy eating, consistent writing, consistent budgeting, and consistent practicing Spanish. It’s just as well, I suppose, the last few years have been so full of ups and downs and loop-de-loops and reverses and roller coaster explosions, a little structure and consistency* will probably do be good right now. With some adventures thrown in for good measure, of course.

*Dear Universe: Please don’t throw me a massive curve ball in February, just because you can, mmmkay?

Do you write resolutions? Do you keep resolutions? Are you a one-resolution-per-year kind of person? Or do you make a list of 19 things?