About Those New Year’s Resolutions

Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions for 2018?  Do you remember what they were?

I made three, and for once I not only remembered what they were but I’ve been accomplishing them.  When I was contemplating ideas as 2017 was coming to a close, I rejected the usual and customary resolutions, purposely staying away from health-related resolutions.  I wanted new and fun ideas.

The first one was to start blogging.  I knew the Holy Spirit was moving me to write, but it’s so easy to put off writing.  So I set a goal of starting in 2018, and I’ve succeeded.  I’ve published a blog every week this year, except for the two weeks that I was in Ireland.  My job is just to write as the Holy Spirit moves me; I do not worry about publicizing my blog or how many followers I have.  I just need to respond to the charge to write.

The second resolution was to declutter.  I have been making progress in getting rid of clutter in stages.  When I was first diagnosed with ADHD 10 years ago and started medication, I was able to get rid of items such as blurry photos and half-used sheets of craft foam.  I’ve made more progress since then, but now I am at the stage where I need to be ruthless in my decisions.  The reality of being over 50 forces me to face the fact that I’m not going to read all the books on my shelf, use all those craft supplies, wear all those clothing items.  I started the year well by doing some serious decluttering but got sidetracked.  I’ve got a few months left to challenge myself to do more.

The third and most fun resolution was to see an owl in the wild.  I’ve spent plenty of time looking, and partially fulfilled this resolution when I partook in a hawk walk in Ireland and got to hold and pet an owl at the end!  It was an amazing experience, and although the owl was not technically wild, holding and petting him more than made up for that.  It was a thrill for me.  I am still looking for owls in my backyard (where I can hear them at times) and I am hopeful to get a photo once the leaves drop from the trees.

Overall, this has been the most successful year for me with regards to resolutions.  I’m not even sure I’ve ever kept one before.  I wish you the same success.  Owl see you next week.