Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post here on Rainy Day Ramblings where I discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.
Here is the subject for this week:
What are your goals for 2017?
Whew! Deep breaths. We are now solidly into January. The holiday chaos is behind us, the decorations put away, and all the bad food is gone. Now it is time to buckle down and focus on a fresh new year.
After all the heartache and turmoil that 2016 brought, I am ready for a new start, and hopefully a much better year. I am going to keep my goals simple and easy as I am still struggling some days, and I want to be able to achieve the goals I set.
So here we go:
Exercise: I am proud of myself for really making a strong commitment to exercise over the last few months. I am pushing myself to keep going and I am constantly working to get in my 10,000 steps a day. Even though there are plenty of days when I don't want to do it, once I get it done, I feel so much better. Plus, I notice that it helps me sleep better.
Family Time: I have discussed this numerous times, but it bears repeating. There is nothing more important to me than my family, and over the past year, I have found out just how much family and friends can provide strength and comfort. I am working to strengthen my family bonds with my immediate family, and my extended family. I am also continuing to spend as much time as I can with my kids doing fun things. We read every night, watch movies, play games and do crafts. They are growing up so fast.
Acts of Kindness: I don't know about you all, but every time I turn on the news or read the paper, I am saddened by so many articles of suffering. Sometimes it feels like a cruel world, and I think if we all made an effort to do something nice as often as we can, it would make it just a bit better. I am saying you have to do something big, sometimes a smile or a kind word goes a long way, or donating a couple of dollars here or there to charities. Take time to volunteer, or donate clothing, books or any other items you aren't using. Your small effort can make a difference.
Reading: I am setting my goal at 150 books again this year. I struggled to meet my goal last year even though I had cut it back from 200. When everything went down with my mom, I stopped reading for awhile, and when I did read I had a hard time finding the right books. I have also found that even though I love reading, I need to focus on other things.
Hobbies: I have rekindled my love for cross stitching since my mother passed, and I have found that it has been a great source of comfort. There is something soothing and wonderful about creating things with your hands. I hope to continue to create some wonderful works of art.
This is my latest work in progress:
Positivity: This past year taught me how beautiful and fragile life is, and I don't want to waste a minute. I am trying to grab each and every day and find beauty and happiness. Some days are harder than others, but remember each day is a gift, don't waste it.
So this is my short and simple list of goals that I want to achieve this next year. Nothing to big and nothing that I shouldn't be able to achieve.
Finally, thanks to Lauren@Shooting Stars Mag, I have selected a word for the year. My word for 2017 is Hope. I want to have hope that things will get better, especially after the trauma and turmoil of last year. I hope we can all be kinder and make the world better, and I hope you all will be hopeful as well. If we are pessimistic and expect the worst, that is what we will get. I know things aren't great right now, but let's have hope that it will get brighter.
Here is a picture of hope and a hopeful story for you.
For those of you who haven't seen my new nephew, this is Breckin, my one and only nephew as I have five nieces. We found out about Breckin's arrival in April just days before my mom's diagnosis. It was hard for us to know that this precious baby would grow up not knowing his beautiful grandmother. Things got harder when shortly after my mother had passed away, my brother called up with sad news. An ultrasound showed that baby Breckin had a deformed foot. The doctors weren't sure of the severity. My brother and sister in law were told that there was a good chance that the foot wouldn't have bones or that it would be so severely deformed that they would be forced to amputate. My brother was feeling pretty down, and told me it was a kick in the teeth after we had just lost mom. I told him to have faith and courage and that no matter what we would get through it. In my heart, I knew that mom would look out for us and that baby, and that things would turn out okay. Breckin arrived on December 18th, his ankle looked a little wonky, but his little foot was perfectly formed, all the bones were there and he could wiggle it, so we were hopeful. Then last week, my brother took him to the specialist and was given the best news. Breckin's foot was just bent from the pregnancy. Everything was perfect, and the doctor said that it should straighten out on its own without surgery or braces. A little miracle. I was so relieved, and I was so grateful that his guardian angels were watching over him. Anyway, this experience has taught me that being hopeful and having a positive attitude is always the best way, even when things are hard. So my friends, I want you to have Hope in 2017.
So tell me what are your goals for 2017?
Next week's question:
How do you beat the Winter blues?
