A new year is a time for reflection, and a chance to indulge in a bit of self-absorbed introspection without too much disapproval.
So, a couple of weeks late perhaps (working mum... busy... blah blah blah), here are my resolutions for 2014:
Get my fitness back
Ok, I know pretty much everyone has this one on their list. Up until the last year I have always exercised regularly (even when I was 9 months pregnant I was still active). Unfortunately, it went a bit downhill from there. After a less than pleasant birth experience (are any of them pleasant?), subsequent recovery and adjusting to life with a newborn, exercise did not feature high on my priorities. I then had a Mirena coil fitted which caused constant cramping. This was made worse when I exercised (and 'exercise' in this context could just mean walking to work). This was not conducive to fitness motivation. Now the damn thing has finally been removed, I have no excuses, and can finally get my fitness (and sanity!) back. Of course, this does mean needing to find other ways to stop being parasitised again, but hey, at least I can do crunches.
Write more:
Ha ha! Seriously. How often has this one reappeared on my resolution list over the years? I do intend to try and factor in some regular writing time this year, and hopefully get a few more features published. Because that's realistic; if I struggle to stick to my own deadlines, working to an editor's deadlines will be so much easier.
Recycle more:
When I was a student I was a very conscientious recycler. We lived in a block of flats where the kerbside recycling bins were regularly stolen. So Husband (who at the time was Fiance) and I would collect all our recyclables over the month, and hike to the local supermarket with bags of plastic and glass jutting out everywhere to dispose of them. Of course, much of this was fueled by my environmental and bioethics courses, where osmotic guilt seemed to be transferred through the rows of students.
Since leaving university I haven't given much thought to recycling beyond putting empty milk bottles and tins in the right coloured recycling box. So, I'm going to put more effort into it and actually think before I automatically throw something away.
Give less of a crap about stuff:
I'm a worryer. I worry about anything and everything, I worry that I worry too much, and that worry is making me a bore, and if I'm not worrying about something, I think I've missed some small detail somewhere. I'm worried that I've used the word 'worry' too much in this paragraph.
Basically, I'm going to try not to over-think everything, and properly enjoy the present.
I started 2013 with a newborn baby and a new home, and it has been one of the most enjoyable, exciting (and frustrating!) years so far. I'm starting 2014 with a toddler, and a growing confidence which I hope will make this year notable.
Do you have any New Year's resolutions? Any that keep recurring year after year?
