Well, our January kicked off with a cold that hit everyone in our household. It consisted of several days of cold medicine, nasal sprays, steaming showers, kleenex, Vicks, and a lot of sleep. Surprisingly, I got some rest during this time. As we get into the second week, I’m hopefully at the tail end of it and ready to start prepping for this year. My intention isn’t to have a whole bunch of resolutions, but rather a few running goals, and then to take the year as it comes. No huge plans. No huge commitments. Just, let it be.
The Christmas tree has officially come down, and my living room has been rearranged. I’m hoping to declutter (again) in a few weeks, and also get rid of clothing I no longer wear/need. Throughout this week, I plan on doing a social media cleanout as well - because it has a bigger impact than you think. I've also had this nagging feeling that 2024 is going to be a tough year for us in certain areas. A year of big news, adjustments, and changes. And the past few months I've had two words on my mind a lot: rooted & slow. After thinking it over, I've come to the conclusion that this year I’d like to be rooted and slow down. I want to be intentional about simplicity as well. Which is something I’ve struggled with for a while now. So, I want to really dive into living simply, but also being content with what I have. I’m unsure of what that will look like for us, but I’m eager to find out.
I have a few running goals in place, but I won’t be disappointed if I don’t reach them all. I have a few work goals, but I’m not putting a lot of pressure on myself about them. If I have the time, I will work towards them, but “climbing” up the ladder is not something I’m interested in. This year, I plan to be present at the majority of Emery’s school activities. I plan to take advantage of the time off I’ve accrued too. When my boss says I can work a day remotely, I will take him up on that offer rather than coming into the office. And finally, I’m hoping this is the year that we can pay down a good amount of our debt. That will require us to penny-pinch, but I’d like to have minimal payments being made - especially since I start my student loan repayment in March.
So, that’s the general hope for this year. I want to have a few goals but I won’t make them so important that I start to think negatively about myself for not reaching them. I also want to prioritize my family and simple living. Slow down. We get one life, and I’m tired of always feeling rushed, stressed, or like I need to “keep up” with everyone else. However, this could all change. Some things may not pan out. And that’s OKAY. This year, I’m going to let it be.
