To Resolution or not to Resolution . . .

I hate resolutions.

To me, they are something you feel forced to do, resent having to do them, and then you just break your new found resolves anyway.

So what’s the point?

After years of breaking my resolution to “lose 10 pounds,” and feeling frustrated because I “couldn’t make any changes,” I gave up making resolutions all together.

Instead, I make goals and have better success. I believe it’s important for an individual to be willing to change, grow and stretch themselves, and have found that goals work as little reminders to keep me stretching.

I write my goals in a notebook, look at them throughout the year, and give myself a final tally the last week of December. It’s a moment I savor, remembering the adventures and risks I’ve taken and seeing how I’ve changed because of them.

So how did I do in 2011???

Sell Accordion

My Dad’s accordion sits in my closet and I can’t imagine him holding it against me if I was able to sell it so others could use it. – It’s still in my closet.

Volunteer (check)

I want my life to impact as many people as possible and thought volunteering would help me. Turns out I already volunteer more then I realized. I’m at Pine Brook Camp a lot and we have REACH on Sundays. (R.E.A.C.H. is our weekly Bible study for young adults/teens and is held at our house). Plus, I started “mentoring” this fall – one of the best uses of my time.

Home Repairs: Bathroom-Mom’s room (half check)

I have a love/hate relationship with this one. While home repairs come naturally to me, I hate to paint! However, I took our bathroom from a saggy, wet ceiling with ocean blue walls and tropical fish, to a distinctly feminine room of bubble gum pink and a creamy trim with a spackled ceiling.

Mom’s room, however, has been bumped up to the to-do list for 2012.

Make a new budget and stick to it

Uck! Totally not Kelsey! My bills get paid, I put some aside for saving and still have funds to go out from time to time. My current system works.

Run 6 miles (check)

And I did for about 8 months. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but I wanted to increase my mileage and I knew feasible baby steps are best for my psyche. Then I contracted this “Runner’s Knee” and the whole thing went Kaput!

Run more races

Let’s face it –I hate racing. Running is great, being overly competitive is great, but I’m not a racer. I think I’ll be taking this off my list for next year.

Amazing Race Application

I love, love, love the Amazing Race and would LOVE to be on the show, not for the glamour, but for the chance to see the world, test my strengths and grow in my weaknesses. As I am looking for a partner to “run” with, the race will have to be put on hold for now.

Hike (check)

I went on one. I would love to do more, but it’s not safe to hike alone.

Find more social outlets (half check)

I always feel like I don’t socialize enough. The plan was to join a book club or go for a dance class where I could make new friends. While I didn’t join any classes, my hobby of house sitting has introduced me to all sorts of people, and playing softball helped with this one too!

Submit 1 article (check)

I went to school to be a journalist. I like to write, and yes I do work at a newspaper, but I’m in advertising. I was tired of being afraid of success and not using the trade I went to school to for. So

I wanted to submit 1 article – even if it did get rejected it didn’t matter, I would be over that hump and the next submission would be easier. It didn’t get rejected and my article ran in the newspaper. It’s terrifying to know that something you wrote, something that came from your soul is sitting on someone else’s’ desk and she has the ability to publish your verbal child, or throw it in the trash.

That article was about my personal struggle with an Eating Disorder and launched a series of events that included me starting this blog, taking better care of myself, learning how to balance food with exercise and to balance myself as an individual.

Write more (check)

This was in an effort to become more comfortable with my own writing and help me complete the goal of submitting an article. I started in a notebook but my hand kept cramping. Then the article hit, and I got to thinking about a blog. Authors write blogs, professionals write blogs, I’m sure celebrities write blogs, and even ordinary people write blogs. I’m an ordinary person, and I have lots to say.

Thus, Holy Pajamas! was born.

Yoga & Kickboxing class

I know, complete opposites.
I feel I spend too much time at the gym doing the same routine and wanted to be challenged. I thought Yoga would help me relax and gain some new perspective on balance, while kickboxing would teach me self defense when I’m running those back roads of Colrain and give me the heart pounding cardio I crave. These will be bumped to the 2012 to-do list.

Softball (check)

The goal was to learn and at least try out for a team. I made the Shelburne Falls Woman’s League and played on a Co-Ed team in the fall. I LOVE it. And being on a team helped my game improve, fed my competitive spirit, taught me that it’s ok to make mistakes (like missing that pop fly) and it was a social outlet.

Learn to Ski (check)

I hate the snow but thought it was time to make peace with New England winters and find some activity that might take the sting out. Ehhh – Wrong! That morning, I hit a deer. . . I should have known that winter and I would never be friends, but it was a great time on the slopes and turns out I like skiing. Still hate winter though.

Spiritual Life: Pray more, Scripture Memorization (half check)

I learned to pray.
Yes I knew how, but I wanted to get better at it.
Prayer is important because while the Bible is God’s way of communicating with us, prayer is our way of communicating with Him. No friendship can last unless there is equal communication between both parties. I went to a Sunday school class that was all about prayer and the teacher made it sound so simple; like praying to God was no different than talking to a friend or sending a text message.

Scripture Memorization never worked out as planned. Maybe this will get bumped to 2012.

Ireland (check) Lifelong goal

Cliffs of Moher - I'm going here!

I had a dream in early January 2011 that I was visiting the green country and decided it was time to get myself there . . . somehow. The goal was to get some plans moving forward for either a vacation or a mission’s trip. While counseling at Pine Brook Camp this summer, one of the girls in my cabin was from   . . . Ireland! Her family hosts their American friends from time to time, and as my co-counselor this year (Gaby) ALSO wanted to go for a trip, plans were made for a visit in March (which almost didn’t happen thanks to my transmission blowing up in November). But by God’s grace, the trip is on, the tickets are booked, and I’ll be in that beautiful country for 10 whole days! More on the itinerary in another posting.

I’m not done with my 2012 goals yet. But there’s no rush, I’ve got all year.