I am setting this down in cement. (No, I know they're actually pixels, but cement really sounds better, right?) I figure if I put this out there for all the world to see, I will have to be more accountable to update you all on how this all comes together as the year passes. Experts say that it's much more likely that someone will accomplish a goal if they 1.) Write it down, and 2.) Tell someone else about it. This qualifies. We'll see if it works, OK?
MMM and I are happily planning away for a wedding on September 1 of next year. I have all kinds of ideas spinning around in my head, and I can imagine them coming together. First and foremost, I want MMM to be really knocked out when he sees me in my dress. We won't play "hide the bride" or anything like that. Do you know the origin of that tradition? Apparently, back in the day of arranged marriages, the families were so delighted to have found someone to marry their daughter, they refused to actually allow him to see her until it was time to lift the veil, just in case he refused to follow through. I think being jilted at the altar is pretty bad luck, all right. That's softened somewhat, and now we mostly think that it's so the groom can be surprised at how beautiful his bride is.For me, though, to really feel like a knockout for MMM, I really gotta lose 15-20 pounds. So here's my first resolution:
1. Lose 15 pounds by July 1. That will give me another month to try for that extra five.
This is not something that I usually write about - my 8-5 J.O.B. But I have one. I work in a state program, assisting local governments to build public facilities and housing. Unfortunately, there is quite a backlog of projects that need simply to be closed out. It's a daunting task, and a big part of my issue with it is that these aren't MY projects. I'm doing work that should have been done, often years ago, by former employees. Grr. There's nothing I detest more than cleaning up someone else's mess. Nevertheless, it's work that must be done. And having it done would give me a great deal of mental clarity. It's like constant static playing on the radio to know that that pile of files is sitting there, day after day, waiting for me to process them and send them off to archives. So.....
2. Close out all the old projects by March 30. Then I can breathe a quiet sigh of relief. And move on.
I want this blog to be a roaring success. But I need to work at it. It's fun - don't get me wrong. I like to write, and I like the community of bloggers. They're fun, creative, interesting people. I want Sassafras Salvation to be known as a good, solid blog, with interesting content. I want, eventually, for it to at least pay for the costs of the craft projects, if not the home renovation ones. There are lots of things I could set goals for, but here's one that I have absolute control over:
3. Post at least half the days in any month for the coming year. So, if April, June, and September have thirty days each, that's 15 posts in each of those months.
I'm a HUGE reader and MMM and I have been reading together, as well . Right now, we're working our way through Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers. A very interesting read, by the way. The Tipping Point was also very good. If you like to watch 60 Minutes, and you're a reader, you'll like any of Gladwell's books. They're very well-researched and he draws interesting conclusions. In addition, in the past year, we enjoyed The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins (WOW!), and The Help (by Kathryn Stocket - Loved the book and I LOVE that she spells her name right!). On my own, I've also read three of Bill Bryson's books, specifically Notes from a Small Island and At Home, a Short History of Private Life, and A Short History of Nearly Everything, and Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival.
We've both read the first four of George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, and Book 5, A Dance of with Dragons, is now out in hardback. We're waiting for the paperback version (and I'll probably get it for my Kindle). And we loved HBO's first installment of the dramatic series, based on the novels, so we're really looking forward to the next one this Spring.
I heard on the radio that a lot of folks set a resolution to read more. This is not my problem in the least. I didn't even begin to list for you all that I've read. I don't generally read much junk.....I read a lot of challenging and interesting material. But I want to continue to work my way through some of the classics, and get some history in, as well. Plus MMM came to reading as an adult, so his bibliography is shorter than mine. I want to share some classic works with him. So here's the next one (and one I have no worries about accomplishing):
4. Read The Life of George Washington by John Marshall (for me) and White Fang by Jack London (for us).
Lastly, MMM and I will be combining households. I have been unmarried since 1985. Can you believe it? Wow. Marriage will be a dramatic change in my life. So here's my resolution:
5. Talk it over. No drama. Remember that he's not a mind reader. Stay in the moment.
I think that does it. Lotsa text, no pictures to delight and entertain. But I've laid it on the table, and I want you all to check in with me and see how I'm doing.
Love,
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