My Very Individual Fresh Start

Some people forget about their fresh start as quickly as they forget about the fresh sheets they put on their bed. Because let’s face, most of us forget all about those sheets by night #2. How do you keep your New Year’s Resolutions active through the whole year? I use a list because oh my goodness, I love lists!

A quick bit of background first. After a separation that lasted six months, followed by a divorce that lasted six months, this will be the first year that I start the year divorced, and happier than I have been in a long time. Some of my New Year’s Resolutions reference this new found freedom from the opposing forces known as The Ex.

1. Declutter. I mean, everyone can use to declutter a little here and there. I might still have little pockets of stuff leftover from the separation that I now have not needed for almost a year. In my cabinet with the glasses, this morning I cleared out two beer steins, two branded whisky glasses, a shot glass and two wine glasses. I don’t drink. The Worthless Ex was an alcoholic and left some of his glassware behind. It’s now listed for sale. Check this box. I plan on going through all the closets and every room to find things like this to declutter. I started decluttering after the separation but there is more to do. And I have found that it is so freeing to get rid of unnecessary stuff!

2. Actively Reduce Debt. The Useless Ex left me all of our shared debt. Oh sure, there is a clause in the divorce agreement that says he will pay me a certain amount every month until a certain total is reached. But that hasn’t happened and I doubt it will happen. So, I square my shoulders and take a deep breath. I have to take care of this myself because it won’t pay itself off. My plan is to use any stimulus money and my tax return to pay this down. Again, I started this goal last year and it will be on my New Year’s Resolutions lists until it is paid off.

3. Outdo Runkeeper. I have a fitness app that records my activity by different activity, along with a total. For every category, running, hiking, biking, snowboarding, etc., not only will I perform more activities but also outdo the mileage. I use fitness, mostly cardio and yoga, to keep a level head through the struggle that is my life currently. Sometimes I need to run six miles to get out of a mood and sometimes I need yoga to remember to breath.

4. Learn 2 new things. This goal is new. I wasn’t sure at first if one should be physical, like a new sport, and one should be mental. But I decided not to limit myself too much. So, this year, when the opportunity arises, I will hunker down and teach myself two things that are completely new to me. I have this inner nerd who loves knowledge. In the past few years, I have taught myself how to cross-country ski, cook and how to write and self-publish three small books. Nerds Rule!

5. Elevate. In conjunction with the last goal, I want to take what I already know to a new level. This could be one step higher than where I am currently at. In cooking, I plan to explore the world of spices more. I want to find more recipes to conquer. With my writing, I am branching out from writing small books to writing these small stories. I don’t want to overwhelm myself and I don’t expect to become the best at everything all of the time. But I think it’s very doable to elevate at least one step above where I’m at now.

The last two goals are pretty nonspecific but I keep my New Year’s Resolutions list on the side of my fridge, so I look at it all of the time. When the opportunity arises, I will make these happen. I may not be as young as I used to be, things don’t come as easy as they used to, but I still have a lot of effort to give. If I just keep putting in the effort and putting in the time then things can only get better for me and my children, this year and every year after. Thank you for reading this.