New Year, New Me
I’m dying looking at the last few posts from my blog. The last one is from January of 2019 and the one before it, January 2018. If that doesn’t sum up the current season of my life, I don’t know what will. I start the year out strong, fall off the wagon mid-January, then resort to rolling down the hill into the dungeons of December.
No matter how much time I take off, the smoldered passion for writing always flares up when a slight breeze of inspiration blows by. So, it wouldn’t be January Bev without talking about the upcoming year’s goals.
If you’ve been with me on this journey for a while, you know I’ve tried every approach: resolutions, single guiding words, the year of “more,” and not one year has passed that I’ve gotten to December and feel like I can put on a party hat and pop confetti. Not because I’m a potato who didn’t do anything at all, but because I didn’t remain focused on the things needing my attention.
So this year, I decided to make goals based on the multiple dimensions that make up my life. It’s a mix of both qualitative and quantitative goals. I do realize I am missing one dimension that would include the passions of my soul, but I’m writing this right now, so check that box.
Spiritual: Sad to say, I didn’t discover what my spiritual gifts are until about 5 years ago. In fact, for my entire life, I thought “teaching” was my gift because that’s what I do for a living. Surprisingly, it was one of the lowest ranked on my inventory. However, I do believe God has given me a gift to communicate to teenagers. Otherwise, it makes zero sense that this shy introvert can put on her top hat and tap dance 5 days a week and keep my audience engaged. But I do believe I have other areas of giftedness that I want to make sure I engage and allow him to work through me, because if there’s one thing I know all too well, I’m really not that great at anything. It’s Him.
Relational: Love languages. I made both my husband and my eldest complete the love language inventory yesterday (found here), and wouldn’t you know that they both ranked high for acts of service! Son of a biscuit eater, this will probably be my last post until 2023. In fact, if I don’t reach any of my other goals, it’s because I never looked up from waiting tables. By the way, love languages aren’t new to our family, but I had a sneaking suspicion Brent’s had changed, so it was time for a refresher.
Intellectual: I’m an English teacher, so reading twelve books sounds miniscule. It’s not. In fact, I’ll be happy if I make it to six this year. Between my profession and raising humans, life doesn’t lend itself to much free time for reading. Especially since I’m acts of servicing myself to death this year.
Financial: Paying off the house early has always been a shared goal between me and Brent, and we are praying we can make it a reality this year. This has been a long journey over the last 11 years, but being able to scream “we are debt free” will be one of the biggest highlights of our married life. Also, I guess I should send my son to college, so it’s time to open that account.
Physical: This year is a milestone birthday for me (if 30 is what you’re thinking, your birthday invitation is in the mail) and I want to feel the best I’ve ever felt. I’ve relied on my crazy high metabolism for too long, but you know what is not affected by metabolism? Your lungs. And I’m tired of gasping for air every time I run up a flight of stairs. Brent and I both need to establish healthy routines before we get old and grouchy and lie down and die because everything hurts and we just can’t anymore. Also, I can’t touch my toes. Exactly.
Industrial: Oh, man, this is the hardest one. I’m a pleaser. Enough said. My family can’t fire me. My boss can. But, I need to make sure I keep my faith, my family, and my health in the top tier of my priorities. I’ll be SOSing in about three weeks.
And there you have it! Even if I only ever get to touch my toes, I’m donning that party hat and glow sticks. Because sometimes the little victories are just as important as the big ones!
See you in 2023!