New Year Intentions

Handmade Homeschool, is a Canadian home-schooling blog I like to read. It's also a bit of a knitting blog, which I like to admire. (Perhaps it's a knitting blog, with a bit of home-schooling?) One comment really struck me this week, on the review of all the socks (I would love to be able to knit socks! I would love a pair of hand-knitted socks!). The focus of the socks was not just socks, but on "being kind to myself by not setting punishing goals or over-committing."
I love New Year's resolutions, and although I have set fewer and fewer in recent years, the urge is always there. I particularly like round numbers: 10 aims; or 12 goals, one for each month; and I have been gathering a few floating thoughts to formulate into 'official' resolutions. The Handmade Homeschool phrase caused me to go back and think about them in terms of over-committing, aiming too high and making failure a painful possibility. It is only a small step for a good intention to become all about the numbers. I would like to give myself some kind goals, aims to encourage me to be intentional about good things, but not sticks to beat myself with. By putting them here, I am aware that I run the risk of having to complete them because I said I would, so I will couch them in different terms.
In 2011, I would like to
1) Run the same 4 races as I did in 2010. ( I wanted to add the aim to improve my time in all of them, but have reconsidered this in the light of being kind to myself ...)
2) Walk the North Downs Way. This is already in the diary and I can't wait. Not sure that we've not set ourselves a punishing schedule but it will be great fun.
3) Complete my 100th parkrun. I have completed 64 so that makes 36 in 52 weeks.
4) Hand-paint one card per month. I had a dabble at a few Christmas and Thank You cards and they were well-received. They make a small and therefore quick painting project which is ideal for me I love feeling I have created something with a purpose.
5) To celebrate one festival per month with the children. I have the book Festivals, Family and Food and have bought the ingredients for a special Epiphany cake for tomorrow. Perhaps I'll even read 'A Cold Coming'?
6) Visit a few relatives and old friends: I have six mind in particular. This is a tricky one. Every Christmas I think, 'I must try to see so-and-so next year,' and never do. Why is this? Perhaps I don't really want to, but I would like to strengthen my links with my wider roots and to spend time with some people who meant a lot to me. I just need to get my diary out and get e-mailing ...
7) Invest in some of my girl-friends. There are a number of special women in my life; time, distance and children make it hard to spend time with them. I would like to be intentional about strengthening those bonds, an e-mail here, a text there, finding the time to drive and hour to have a coffee.