Here it is, another new year, and I’m attempting the Blog Regularly Thing again. I have a better outline of topics prepared than I did last time and I’m not doing any extra contract work on the weekends so I feel like I’m more set up for success this time. Before I go on to new Things, I want to wrap up 2017.

In May, I discovered that I freaking love Bullet Journaling and I wrote this post about it. I’ve stuck with it since then and fallen further and further down the rabbit hole. In fact, my @FortyTwoThingsProject Instagram has mostly become a bullet journal Instagram these days.  (Follow me!) I even veered off from a straight up bullet journal to a traveler’s notebook with inserts. I’ll probably do a post explaining my whole setup soon. There’s a big community of bullet journalers out there and I’m enjoying getting connected to that world a little bit. 

I really didn’t do many Things last year. I dyed my hair purple and I read some things and cooked somethings and technically, I painted pottery with Ramona. It wasn’t what I imagined when I decided on that Thing. I pictured her being a little older and a little more interested than a two year old is capable of being. But I need the win so I’m going to say that yes, we painted pottery together and that Thing is done. We ended up with this beautiful piece below. And really it was a good memory. We went with my mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, and niece to celebrate my sister-in-law-to-be’s birthday last April. Ramona was amazingly well-behaved for a barely two-year-old, and she did a great job painting for the five minutes that she was into it. haha.

So why didn’t I do more Things in 2017? Basically, I stretched myself too thin with side work and didn’t have the capacity to do much more than I had committed myself to do. I also dug really deep into pursuing mental wellness with a new, local doctor and therapist. This is the first time I’ve done weekly therapy in a long time and this lady I’m working with is good. She really calls out stuff yet allows me to figure most things out for myself. So I’ve learned a lot and I’m making some positive changes. I’m interested to see where things go in 2018.

The early days of a new year always feel full of possibilities. And I do feel that this year, but I’m also cautious. 2017 was rough on a macro level and there were tough times on a micro level too. I don’t feel like 2018 is going to be all sunshines and rainbows. I’m really worried about things I see happening in this country and all over the world. I worry about the health of my parents. I worry about being a good parent to Fig and a good partner to Adam. But there are those possibilities ahead. Here’s hoping there are more good ones than bad.

That brings us to my goals for this year. I only have three.

1. To complete six Things
2. To learn to crochet
3. To find friends/community here in Clear Lake

I haven’t preselected all six of the Things I want to complete this year but I know I want to do the Blog Regularly Thing and Learn to Crochet. I also want to make real headway into Read or Rid which means buying fewer books so I don’t keep adding to the target.  I want to do at least one of the 30-day challenges. And I’ll figure the rest out as I go.

What are your goals for 2018?