Resolution Update 2014
Jan. 1st, 2015 02:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebFirst of all, in 2013 I resolved to heal my shoulder and heel. I wasn't 100% certain that I had done so by the end of 2013, but now I am. Yea!
Last year
Last year I had one minor resolution: to donate blood more. I did. Robin and I went in every two months for a while until I started getting rejected for low iron and he had some kind of problem, too, which I no longer remember, and then we both had colds, and then we forgot. I would have thought that after menopause struck, I would have plenty of iron like men, but I guess not. Interesting. Overall, I'll call it a victory, though I could have done a little better.
I also was focused on work but decided that no work resolution was needed because I already had a strategy in place: to take only jobs where they want me. Specifically, I was going to start off working in the tax office half time and stay open to more degree audit jobs. Then after the tax season ended, I'd contact UT about doing temp jobs. And if any of these things stopped being fun at all, I'd leave.
What actually happened is that technical difficulties led to my not working at the tax office after all. At the same time, one of my colleagues suggested that I apply for another UT job. I did so and was hired. So I never applied for temp work. And it was financially okay that no one needed me for degree audit work. My job never got very fun, but I committed to holding out until I was qualified for my pension. So that worked out fine.
Next year
People like to ask me what I will do with myself after I retire. For now, most of the answer is going to be more of the same: more reading, more learning, more creating, more socializing, more exercise, more cooking, more cleaning, more fun.
I also specifically want to start learning Spanish again--which I already have--and to start volunteering to tutor some junior high school student in math. I know with volunteering, things can get out of control where once you say yes to one thing, you start getting pressured to give up all your time to volunteering. So I think I'm going to follow some advice I heard about winning the lottery: don't make any big decisions for at least a year.
I also thought of a very specific resolution-like thing I want to do which is to declutter at least one space per week all year. That sounds like a lot, but it's not because the spaces can be very small, like one drawer.
This week's project is my travel shower supplies. I used to fit everything into a Tupperware. Then rules changed and I needed smaller containers and they were supposed to be in a clear plastic baggy that I could pull out and display like Vanna White. I re-thought a few things, and after this trip, I have re-thought a few things again.
I now have a baggy that contains:
* Dr. Bronner's soap - good for soap, shampoo, and laundry
* vinegar water - this is what I use for hair conditioner these days
* face lotion that also has sunscreen - I can use this on other skin in the summer
* toothpaste
All of that can fit in my old Tupperware (between trips) along with:
* shower scrubby
* razor
* toothbrush
* dental floss
Nice and minimalist.
Last year
Last year I had one minor resolution: to donate blood more. I did. Robin and I went in every two months for a while until I started getting rejected for low iron and he had some kind of problem, too, which I no longer remember, and then we both had colds, and then we forgot. I would have thought that after menopause struck, I would have plenty of iron like men, but I guess not. Interesting. Overall, I'll call it a victory, though I could have done a little better.
I also was focused on work but decided that no work resolution was needed because I already had a strategy in place: to take only jobs where they want me. Specifically, I was going to start off working in the tax office half time and stay open to more degree audit jobs. Then after the tax season ended, I'd contact UT about doing temp jobs. And if any of these things stopped being fun at all, I'd leave.
What actually happened is that technical difficulties led to my not working at the tax office after all. At the same time, one of my colleagues suggested that I apply for another UT job. I did so and was hired. So I never applied for temp work. And it was financially okay that no one needed me for degree audit work. My job never got very fun, but I committed to holding out until I was qualified for my pension. So that worked out fine.
Next year
People like to ask me what I will do with myself after I retire. For now, most of the answer is going to be more of the same: more reading, more learning, more creating, more socializing, more exercise, more cooking, more cleaning, more fun.
I also specifically want to start learning Spanish again--which I already have--and to start volunteering to tutor some junior high school student in math. I know with volunteering, things can get out of control where once you say yes to one thing, you start getting pressured to give up all your time to volunteering. So I think I'm going to follow some advice I heard about winning the lottery: don't make any big decisions for at least a year.
I also thought of a very specific resolution-like thing I want to do which is to declutter at least one space per week all year. That sounds like a lot, but it's not because the spaces can be very small, like one drawer.
This week's project is my travel shower supplies. I used to fit everything into a Tupperware. Then rules changed and I needed smaller containers and they were supposed to be in a clear plastic baggy that I could pull out and display like Vanna White. I re-thought a few things, and after this trip, I have re-thought a few things again.
I now have a baggy that contains:
* Dr. Bronner's soap - good for soap, shampoo, and laundry
* vinegar water - this is what I use for hair conditioner these days
* face lotion that also has sunscreen - I can use this on other skin in the summer
* toothpaste
All of that can fit in my old Tupperware (between trips) along with:
* shower scrubby
* razor
* toothbrush
* dental floss
Nice and minimalist.