Some years feel better than others.
This year was filled with better and brighter events and opportunities than the previous year, and although many things remain undone and wanting, there is a sense of grace and gratitude as I think about the upcoming year.
I didn’t have to write a master’s paper under conditions that tied my hands and resulted in a paper that I was not interested in and wasn’t free to write to the best of my ability.
I wasn’t worried about being able to get enough work as a substitute to pay the minimum of expenses (student loans, gasoline at almost 15% of earnings).
I didn’t have to pay for huge car repairs (the accident in February was covered by insurance), or upkeep — though there is some on the horizon with a scheduled timing belt replacement.
I DID make it to visit friends at a distance, and happily was able to see one of them that “one last time” that we often do not get in life.
I DID bring the garden back to a sense of order and productivity, with the help of Tom and the boys. Â We are still harvesting and eating good things from our summer garden!
I DID start getting a lot more calls to substitute and several people are calling me first!
I DID get around to starting a decent filing system in my office, and have a plan for getting the rest of it cleared out and usable.
I DID go to my first professional conference, had a great time and met wonderful people. I will do this again when I can afford it again.
And of course, there are dozens of tasks left undone, opportunities unexplored.
In the coming year I hope to…
- get the rest of the fruit trees pruned to near-final form.
- make “baskets” of wire for growing potatoes and tomatoes; we lost between 1/2 and 2/3 of the crop this year to burrowing critters. Baskets will accomplish three things. They will prevent the voles from eating our spuds. I can plant tomatoes out the sides of the baskets and the soil and water will then do double-duty while the tomato plants shade the sides of the baskets to keep them cool. They will allow us to renew the soil for the potatoes/tomatoes every year and not worry about potato blight in particular beds. I can move the baskets around from year to year!
- move the dahlias from their current locations (part of this will be done as I dig up the dahlias for winter. IF I can do this soon…) and into planters or deer-proof mini cages.
- get the office organized and cleared out. Part of this will include repurposing Matthew’s old bedroom into long-term storage for a few things and the printer/filing room for the family. Then I can consolidate teaching and gardening literature and materials in the office instead of multiple locations around the house.
- get at least half of the storage locker emptied out. We got through the pile of materials in the back yard this year, and some of the storage locker. We have accumulated a lot of things in over 20 years of marriage, and it’s time to let a lot of it go.
- ditto for the closet and dressers in our bedroom — I went through it a couple years ago. It’s time again. Most of the outdated, wrong-size clothes are going out as I notice them now (a big improvement), but it’s good to review the entire wardrobe and make thoughtful adjustments on occasion, too.
- identify appropriate next steps for my career. Am I likely to actually get a teaching job in the next couple years? If not, then subbing is not my friend as it shortens the time I have to apply for the next step of certification once I have my own classroom. I might need to consider a different job until schools really start hiring again, and keep applying as openings come up.
- earn enough to help support the kiddos as they live away from home and need help with college expenses. It’s why I went back to school in the first place!
One of my online friends had the idea to write down the nice things that happen in the coming year and keep them in a special container. I am going to do this, too. I have some pretty papers and a few extra small boxes. Then, at the end of the coming year I will be able to review more systematically what the successes have been.
I think that I will try to write down one good thing each day. Even if it’s small.
Years ago, I was struggling to recover from a back injury. I gave myself the goal of doing one thing each day, with the goal of doing something five days in each seven-day period. That way, I could have days “off” without feeling guilty.
So the goal of writing down one good thing that happened each day for five days out of a seven-day period will work for me, too.
I think I’ll try to limit time online, too — a goal of creating more physical art and less power-drain. I have plenty of materials right now to create and craft for months (maybe years). Anything left at the end of next year could be happily and easily let go.
Finally, I want to spend more time cooking with Tom. He is an excellent cook, and we enjoy making nourishing, satisfying food together. We also enjoy going to museums and such, so I hope that we’ll be able to escape a little more when the weather warms up to take a few day trips.
I hope the new year promises good things for you and yours as well.