Goals for 2009

I hate making resolutions, don’t you?  I usually break them almost as soon as I’ve made them.  It’s a rebel thing.  I hate anyone telling me what I must do, including myself.  So, this year, I’ve decided to forego the headache and set goals for myself instead.  Here goes:

Writing:  I will finish at least two short stories and a novel and submit them for publication.  I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve started and it’s high time I finished them.  I will also continue writing flash fiction and poetry.  One goal is to write several related haikus and senryu and submit them as a collection. 

Reading:  I joined a book club a few months back and have only made it to one meeting.  My goal is to read more of the book selections and attend a majority of the meetings.  Some of the selections so far have been books I would not normally choose to read but you never know what might grab you by surprise.  Heck, I didn’t know I’d like chocolate until I first sunk my teeth into a warm and gooey chocolate chip cookie!  Oh, and there’s also that huge TBR pile I should really put a dent in.  I think a few mental health days off are in order, don’t you?

Organization:  I know it’s time to purge and organize the closets when my little kitties can’t even find a crevice to squirm their way into as I stand and stare at the contents.  I mean really.  “One of these days” has now dawned and it’s time to get to work.  Just freeing myself of “stuff” will be an exhilarating experience, I’m sure.

Cooking:  My husband and I do not have a lot of time to plan and prepare meals so we’ve come to rely on packaged mixes to reduce preparation time.  Boxed mashed potatoes, noodle pouches and dare I say it (?), Hamburger Helper, just to name a few.  Now, there’s nothing wrong with availing yourself of the convenience once in a while, but whipping up a few meals from scratch would not hurt and I know our bodies would thank us for it.  To be fair, my husband makes a mean stir fry and can whip up a barbecue like nobody’s business but we need to add more healthy dishes to the mix.   (Oh yeah, more exercise couldn’t hurt either.)

The Big Picture:  As I wrote recently on my LiveJournal blog, I’ve been itching to be of more service.  Working a soup kitchen, talking with unwed mothers, coordinating events for learning disabled kids…there’s a million and one good deeds I could be doing.  2008 was an extremely difficult year for many of us and what better way to overcome the anxiety, instability and sorrow then to step outside yourself and be of service to someone else?  My goal for this year is to choose one individual and one family activity to get immersed in.

I have many other things to accomplish this year, of course, but these are a few of the big ones.  Tell me, what are some of your goals for 2009?

~ Pamela 

Tags: cooking, goal, New Year, reading, resolutions, service, Writing