Resolutions Status Report

Here it is, the middle of January (more or less), so it must be time to make some resolutions for the year.

Perhaps the first should be to plan better.

Last year about this time, I explained that I have never been one to make resolutions, but I thought a few goals for the year would be beneficial and so I shared them with you.  If I learned anything working in mid-level management of large corporations, it was ‘only set goals you know you can already achieve.’    Thank you to the more experienced under-achievers who taught me to survive and earn bonuses in corporate America.

Before I set any new goals, I think my readers deserve a status report on last year.  I had set four major goals for myself.

Spend more time with my family

I’m retired and living during a pandemic.  When my wife and I travel we do so in our 84 sq. ft. campervan.  Trust me, this goal was achieved.  Recognizing that ‘family’ is a loosely defined grouping of people, I can report that Jenni and I also drove to Texas last spring and enjoyed seeing many of our extended family.  And thanks to the generosity of our son and daughter-in-love, we were able to spend a long weekend on the lake with our immediate family unit.  Still, a three-month gap in physically seeing our eldest son and daughter-in-love (who only live 20 miles away) proves there is always room for improvement.

Keep traveling in Wanda the van

Did you really think I wouldn’t be able to check this one off?  I’m not sure how many miles we clicked off this past year (maybe 10k?), but not only did we enjoy a drive to Texas, on the way back we discovered that Louisiana actually has a beach with sand and seashells—not just mud and tar balls.  We also did an extensive trip to the Northeast visiting Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine among other states.  We have now visited all 48 contiguous states.

Publish a book

This goal was personally rewarding.  I knew there was more than a 50% chance of achieving it when I started the year, but there were times I almost gave up.  More than a fair share of retired English teachers have now read the book and stated it was like sitting and having a conversation with me.  I do imagine some of them looking at me over the rim of their eyeglasses while holding a red pen and discussing my use of commas, lack of sentence structure, and those prolific parenthetical asides. (But hey, I am proud of my achievement!)

Fix the retaining wall by the driveway that has been cracked for four-five years

Okay, I knew I was going to get this win the moment I wrote it down. It had been on the to-do list for some time.  (Do you see how goals work now?) However…..the crack seems to be developing again so maybe I don’t get full credit after all.

And now, my goals for the new year?

1. Publish a second book that is thicker than a #2 pencil (hmmm, I'm thinking larger fonts, double spacing, and maybe a higher word count)
2. Maximize family time (y'all have seen the pics of the new grandchild, right?)
3. Caulk that crack in the retaining wall (bought the caulk over a year ago in anticipation of fixing the crack)
4. Keep traveling in Wanda (of course, but WHERE?)

What are your goals?  (It's okay to set some that you're sure you can meet.  Go ahead, earn that bonus.)   It’s not too late!