Why is it that the calendar rolling over to a “new year” seems like both the end of the world and the beginning of time?  It’s as though I feel conflicted every year.  Should I mourn the passing of another year or remember fondly the days gone by?  Do I look forward to the New Year with anticipation, expectation and wonderment or uncertainty, fear and exhaustion?  Am I content with what I accomplished in 2004 or am I disappointed?  Do I see 2005 as a fresh start or just another chapter in a tired old book titled “My Life”?  And even as I ponder these things I can’t decide if I’m oversimplifying my feelings or blowing them completely out of proportion LOL.  Whatever the case may be, the New Year obviously brings about a mix of feelings and emotions that will likely take me a few weeks to sort through before I’ve convinced myself that moving on can be a good thing and that eventually I will be writing 2005 instead of 2004 mistakenly. 

I’ve never liked the old tradition of “New Year’s Resolutions”.  Webster defines a resolution as, and I quote:

So, if you made it through that entire jumble – what do you suppose we truly mean when we state our “New Year’s Resolutions”.  I don’t think anywhere in that definition does it say, “hey, give it a shot but it will be ok when you’ve gone back to your old ways come February.”

If we truly resolve to change – isn’t it to last more than a few weeks?  But then again maybe that’s why the popular carpet cleaner was named “Resolve” because it’ll make that spot disappear for a few days (maybe even a few weeks) but then suddenly, without you’re even realizing it, that darn spot is back taunting you and sending you back to your hands and knees for more scrubbing.  Maybe Webster got it wrong and resolutions are temporary, feel good things to make us think we’re working on becoming better people.  Maybe they are just “something we do” in a fit of sentimentality and emotion while caught up in all the hype of resolving to make the next year count.

Or maybe, just maybe I’m just sick and tired of the guilt involved with my own personal failure to resolve and stay that way.  So, in a revolt against the practice of resolutions I’m sure to cast aside when things don’t work just right, I’ve decided this year to set some tangible goals I would like to meet by the end of the year.  I decided to come up with some things to help me grow this year and to start a trend of accomplishment in my life. 

As you look through my list I’m sure you’ll say to yourself “why she’s insane, those are nothing more than typical resolutions with a less fancy title.”  LOL well, perhaps you’re right but, if my calling them goals rather than resolutions I actually accomplish what I set out to do – then my friend, isn’t the success more important at that point?

Goals

Weightloss – need to lose 79.6 lbs

Geocaching – hit 350 finds this year, which means we’ll need to average 3.73 finds a week :o)

Writing – write a book and send it to a publisher

Quilting – Complete the wall hanging quilt in the front room

Scrapbooking – be totally caught up through 2005 (currently somewhere in 1998)

Reading – Finish reading 12 books (average 1 book a month).

Journal - locate my old written journal entries and convert them into electronic form (this could be time consuming).

So, there you have it – my 2005 Goals.