Thursday Thirteen

Last year I did not make resolutions - at least, not in my blog. Today is the second day of the new year and I will not make resolutions here, either, but I will see if I can come up with 13 things that one may consider goals or resolutions or dreams of things to come.


1. Better health. It is no secret that I have been experiencing health issues since July. My hope is to sort out what is really wrong and deal with it appropriately.

2. Getting a tooth fixed. Last year I *nearly* had a root canal but the root canal specialist said nope, not yet. The tooth is sensitive but my dentist (a new one for me) said she would replace the filling before we went the root canal route. So I am expecting to get a new filling on that thing as soon as I feel up to it.

3. More writing. I would like to increase my writing output. It may not be writing for which I am paid, but I want to write more here in my blog, in my private journal, and in some other personal writing.

4. Eating better. I have been working on this one for six months, resulting in weight loss, and I plan to continue this. I think I am close to figuring it out. Mostly I need to eat more vegetables.

5. Drink more water. Just because I think it helps.

6. Learn to cook better. I can rock the stove on some things, but overall I do not consider myself a good cook. I would like to learn how to prepare vegetables so that they have better flavor, and learn how to come up with menus that are healthy. Unfortunately, I think this must be a self-taught thing as I am unaware of any cooking classes locally.

7. Buy quality. When I look around my house, I see a lot of, well, junk. It's useable junk but it's not quality. When we were younger and setting up housekeeping, we bought what we could afford. And that generally wasn't good quality. My desk, for example, is one of those do-it-yourself things. We have a very nice bedroom suit that we bought 20 years ago, but we have few pieces of art, for example. I would like to purchase nice local artwork to replace some of the generic pictures we have around the house. I would also like to purchase a nice oak china cabinet and some really good quality pots and pans.

8. Exercise more. This is on everyone's list, I know. My recent health issues have curtailed my exercising considerably, so if I can get that under control I should be able to return to a more industrious exercise program. I am seeing a physical therapist who is helping me recreate my exercise routines so that I am doing *something* even if it isn't cardio.

9. Be kind. I am generally kind, or at least I think I am, but there is always room for improvement. This is particularly true of those whom we love the most - we tend to not always be as kind to them as we might be to a stranger.

10. Love. I love many people, and would like to love more.

11. Taste the grapes before I buy them. I never have done this - my mother taught me it was wrong - but after this last inedible bunch I purchased earlier this week, I think a taste is necessary.

12. Practice patience, especially with myself. I am my own worst enemy, always expecting the best out of me even when I obviously am not up to running marathons or carrying groceries or spending six hours in a meeting.

13. Read more. Last year I only read 30 books, which I think is an all-time low for me. Much of that was due to being ill - I discovered I cannot take pain killers and still comprehend what I read - but even so, I would like to read more books than that. I usually manage around 50, and so that is my goal for 2014.

I hope everyone had a good new year and that the upcoming year is a great one for all.




Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 326th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.