the annual: "community."

saturday, december 30th, 2023.

Man, what a year it's been! Time flies and all that jazz.

Last year, I picked a theme for my 2023 aspirations: settling. This year's theme will be "community," I think. And not necessarily of the online sort— I'm going to be part of a placemaking movement in my city. To reach out to my neighbors, to gather, and to build things together.

2023 in review.

This year has been awesome. I think the theme I picked last year, "settling," was incredibly apropos. We've settled into our new home and the uncertainty of changing scenery has dissolved. We're well into finding our new life rhythms and it's been pretty dang great, honestly!

So how did I fare in meeting the goals I set out for myself last year? Here's the intentions I aspired to:

• Start a small garden.
• Hike often.
• Go camping.
• Build some wall-to-wall shelving for our front room.
• Read more. I only managed to read 8 books this year!
• Meditate regularly.
• Maintain my environment responsibly. Chores, yard work, all that jazz.
• Fix up my old commuter bicycle and ride around town a bit.
• Worry less and enjoy the journey.

Well, I faltered on most of those aspirations, unfortunately. I didn't start the garden, nor did I hike, camp, or build any shelving for our front room. I had a nice streak of regular meditation a couple times, but didn't keep the habit up, unfortunately.

I did succeed in reading a little more, although I only managed to read 13 books this year. anna's archive was a big help increasing the amount of reading I've been doing. I hope to build on that momentum and read more next year!

Maintaining my environment has gone swimmingly! Yard work definitely kept me busy over the summer months and we had plenty of plumbing issues to remedy. But our house and lot are in good working order as far as I can tell, and it's just lovely seeing our house turn into a home.

I think my biggest success was in bicycling— not only did I fix my old commuter bike up but I've put almost a thousand miles on my bike riding it to work and back! I'm going to try to keep that up next year. Perhaps I'll double that number if I can keep myself and the bicycle in good working order!

And finally, I think I've got the "worry less and enjoy the journey" bit down pretty well. The muddy, stirred waters of a life in transition have settled and I'm very much enjoying the quiet family life these days. :)

2024, setting intentions.

I'm going to be quite busy next year with this community building stuff, I think! However, I need to take care of myself and not burn myself out in the process. So here are the things I intend to do, tempered with the reality that my aspirations last year were perhaps a bit too lofty!

• Keep up the cycling and see if I can hit 2,000 miles.
• Get quality sleep. I really thrive with "early to bed, early to rise."
• Eat well. More veggies and less snacking.
• Abstain from things that make me feel crappy: alcohol, social media, etc.
• Read more. At least 15 books, preferably!
• Maintain my environment responsibly, same as last year.
• Be kind to myself and those around me. Don't let cynicism hold me down.
• Say "yes" more— stretch the envelope and have some ad hoc adventures!
• Say "no" when I need to— don't put too much on my plate.

All in all, I'm really looking forward to seeing what the next year has in store for us. We have such great lives and could do with a little more appreciating all the good stuff we have going for us. Also: my friggin' FOURTIETH birthday is next year. How wild is that??

I suppose that's all for now! I hope the new year brings you and yours lots of joy and all the good things.

Until next time, be well! :)