Look FORWARD / Joey Trees
Someone once told me that you don't drive a car looking in the rear-view mirror, you've got to keep LOOKING FORWARD!
I am most definitely looking forward to starting a new year -- this past one has been a long strange ride.
Do you prepare New Year's Resolutions? I remember doing them as a child, writing on blue-lined notebook paper things like "Be kind," or "Be nicer to my sister." I suppose I managed to keep those as well as a child could. Hmm. I will have to ask my sister....
As I grew older, the resolutions became more specific, I guess you'd say... like "Lose weight" and "Get more exercise" and "Get control of spending." I can tell you for sure, they lasted usually about two weeks before I'd give up on them.
Since "Resolutions" seemed like an instant recipe for failure, I eventually decided to ditch making them.
Then a few years ago, I re-invented the process for myself. I recently had made some life-altering decisions and difficult major changes. Instead of resolutions, I sat alone that December evening of 2003 in a little apartment and made two lists on a sheet of paper. On the left side were things I had accomplished in the past year. On the right were goals for the coming year.
The accomplishment side helped me see some positive actions I had taken that had improved my life. The list bolstered my sense of purpose, my self-confidence, my feeling of empowerment over my own situation. Showing that I COULD accomplish major decisions and goals gave me a bit of incentive to continue with goals.
The goal side showed me areas that still needed a bit of work. I didn't give myself a "deadline" on the goals. I didn't beat myself up if I hadn't done a single thing on a particular goal. I just allowed myself the flexibility to carry over goals from one year to the next. I also would add a few "action suggestions" to give myself a jump-start.
This process has worked quite well for me, ever since. I like seeing positive progress, no matter how large or small.
That list of goals in 2003 included things like "Improve my credit score," "Get a second job to help with debt," and "Start National Board Certification." I also included a few "fun" things as goals: "Read more," "Finish the 3 Tie Quilts for my kids," and "Sort through the photos."
By the end of 2004, one year later, I had accomplished improving my credit score a bit by putting as many bills on draft as possible, and getting caught up on some other bills. The second job I found helped with paying down those bills. I also had, indeed, begun the process of National Board Certification. So far as the "fun" things.... I enjoyed several good books that year, plus one of the tie quilts was DONE, and the second was IN PROGRESS. I will admit, however, to having some assistance with the quilting: My mom, grandmother, and the ladies who helped care for my grandmother all helped me with the quilting.
Fast Forward until more recent times....
I will be honest with you -- each year has had some similarities. "Lose weight" and "Exercise more" both hit the list again, for multiple years. But they both also made the "accomplishment side" some years, too! For quite a while, I walked 3-5 miles every day, which was phenomenal exercise! Weight management is still in progress, but I have made some strides in that arena as well. No pun intended. I wore a FitBit pretty much 24/7 for almost 6 years, which added incentive.
The "fun" goals have had two consistencies since 2003. "Finish my son's Tie Quilt" and "Sort through the photos." A couple of years ago, I realized that I had dragged the pieces of that quilt and three tubs of photos around since 2003 and done nothing with either of them. That included 4 moves, two states, and hundreds of times of LOOKING at them and thinking, "I should get started on these..."
So I made a deal with myself, that if I finished the quilt I would enter it in the SC State Fair, and added that as a goal. Bingo! GOT IT DONE! While I didn't win any ribbons, it was fun to see that quilt hanging up in the arena! YES -- the quilts were ALL FINISHED!
This year, many of my goals were derailed due to illness. I was able to take about 6 months of harp lessons before the vision issues associated with MG kicked in and caused me to have to set it aside a while. My reading plan also was derailed, though I did manage to read 20 books, so I can still count both of those as accomplishments, and hopefully I can carry them forward and resume in the coming year.
As I sat on the sofa this summer and fall, weak from MG, feeling rather bored and useless, it occurred to me that I could begin sorting through those tubs of photos. It was the last "original goal" that I'd dragged around for 15 years. And so it began!
I sorted through photos, newspaper clippings, other little mementos. I had dishpans for each of my 3 kids, one for myself, and one for David -- I would determine who would get what photo/clipping/whatever, and toss it into their dishpan. It took several weeks; some days I could work a couple of hours, others maybe a little longer, at times only a few minutes. I had a lot of help from Diane Sugarfoot, who was quite interested in what I was doing.
It was fun "riding down memory lane" -- I had photos of me as a child that my mom had given me: lots of birthday parties, family gatherings, gawky school photos. Then there were all the photos of my own children: baby, school days, birthday parties, family vacations, high school proms and graduations, on through college days and weddings. Lots of smiles, and fun memories. There were newspaper clipping from their days in 4-H and Scouts, graduation newspaper articles, certificates of achievement.
When I finished, there were two full photo albums for each of my three children, David, and me. AND there were two EMPTY TUBS that proved my accomplishment! I gave the kids their albums at Christmas, complete with little comments and narratives scattered throughout. I really hope they like looking through them as much as I enjoyed putting them together. Plus, it really turned out to be great "therapy" for me, at a time when I was struggling to find joy.
Now, as I try to list my accomplishments for 2018 and goals for 2019 -- for the first time since 2003, "Organize Photographs" has finally made it to the other side! It's been the longest carry-over item.
What a great year for that last original goal to have been accomplished -- when so many of my other goals were only semi-achieved. I am able to pull a huge victory out of my goal list, after all!
Other accomplishments in 2018 -- I achieved my reading goal of 12 books though I had secretly planned to double it. I didn't quite double it, but I came close. I took harp lessons as long as I could, and hopefully will be able to resume them eventually when my vision straightens out. In spite of prednisone, I have lost weight. I've resumed writing, both with my blog and a journal.
Some derailments that now become Carry-over Goals for 2019 include:
*Exercise -- I was never able to get back into my walking routine. I wanted to do more kayaking on the lake this year, but never even put it in the water. I didn't even go swimming in the lake this summer -- which is crazy, but I was sick all summer long.
I don't normally share my Goals with anyone, but I will share a few with you here. Maybe that's an "accountability" thing for me.
*Self-care -- continue learning to deal with this disease, and taking care of myself physically, mentally, and emotionally.
*Organizing and De-cluttering -- this one is a big one, but I'm hopeful to accomplish some of it, at least.
*Read more REAL books, less Facebook. My bookshelf is loaded and ready!
*Less "Retail Therapy" and more "Creative Therapy" -- write, sew, crochet, craft, do things that make me HAPPY.
My wish for you in 2019 is a HAPPY and HEALTHY New Year with lots of Love and Laughter!
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Untethered Time Travel: JOEY TREES
It is any New Year's Eve from about 1964 to 1974.
I am 8 to 18 years old.
My dad and I always brought in the New Year together. Sometimes my mom and sister stayed up until midnight with us, too.
We'd watch television broadcasts of celebrations around the world, people bringing in a new year with new hopes and dreams.
We'd have popcorn and Pepsi.
And ALWAYS, I'd make "Joey Trees."
These are among my fondest memories.
When I was a kid there was a local tv broadcast featuring Joey The Clown. He'd have kids on his show every afternoon, and there were cartoons. Often kids would have their birthday parties on Joey's show. I remember going twice for birthday parties there, and the prospect of being on television was thrilling!
He made "trees" out of newspapers: take several pages of newspaper, roll into a tube, then cut about halfway down several times.
Grab an innermost piece and pull gently -- voila! A Joey Tree!
It's a fun memory of celebrations, of new beginnings.
Of course, by 12:10, we were all tucked in our beds, asleep.
To this day, my daddy still asks me on New Year's Eve if I made a Joey Tree.
And I do!
I am 8 to 18 years old.
My dad and I always brought in the New Year together. Sometimes my mom and sister stayed up until midnight with us, too.
We'd watch television broadcasts of celebrations around the world, people bringing in a new year with new hopes and dreams.
We'd have popcorn and Pepsi.
And ALWAYS, I'd make "Joey Trees."
These are among my fondest memories.
When I was a kid there was a local tv broadcast featuring Joey The Clown. He'd have kids on his show every afternoon, and there were cartoons. Often kids would have their birthday parties on Joey's show. I remember going twice for birthday parties there, and the prospect of being on television was thrilling!
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| Joey The Clown, Charlotte, NC |
He made "trees" out of newspapers: take several pages of newspaper, roll into a tube, then cut about halfway down several times.
Grab an innermost piece and pull gently -- voila! A Joey Tree!
It's a fun memory of celebrations, of new beginnings.
Of course, by 12:10, we were all tucked in our beds, asleep.
To this day, my daddy still asks me on New Year's Eve if I made a Joey Tree.
And I do!
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