Traditionally, I spend the week between Christmas and New Years depressed about all my many failures in the last year — What? I’m still not 20 30 years younger and a size 0? I have always thought that it has a lot to do with being born on January 1st so I’m not just looking at the end of another year, I’m angsting about being another year older and not having accomplished my goals.
This year, I’ve been way too sick to bother being depressed about anything so esoteric as where I am in life. Besides, 50 seems a little weird but not that big of a deal. 47 was a big deal. It was when I realized that I was almost 50. Heh. I seem to have a thing about the 7s. At 37 I was stressed about turning 40. In fact, I spent the next several years being in denial. I was 37, 38, 39, 30-10, 30-11, 30-12… and finally 30-13 seemed to be pushing it a little. When I turned 27 I realized I wasn’t a teenager anymore. Seriously.
Actually, the funniest age-related thing was a couple years ago when I turned “49.” Yeah, a couple years ago. I went straight from 47 to 49 and didn’t realize I had skipped 48 until about half way through the year. I can’t remember what triggered my awareness but I remember thinking — wait a minute, 2011 minus 1963 does not equal 49… As far as I was concerned, that gave me the right to claim to be 48 for half this year.
So, on to 50. I don’t make resolutions. I think they set you up for failure because, at least for me, there’s such a lot of perfectionism involved. But I have goals. I postponed goals that I probably should have been working on because the holidays are such a hard time to eat healthier. I really want to get my blood sugar under better control. It’s better than it was but still too high. And I want to start losing weight again. Both of those goals are really about eating better. And how am I going to do that? What I really want to do is to cook more. I haven’t been cooking much in months… or longer. I definitely eat better if I cook rather than heating up a pizza or microwaving macaroni and cheese. I’d like to make some new and interesting things and post them on Chickens and Eggs.
So what are your goals for the coming year?
I don’t do resolutions either. Same reason as you.
As for goals, I have 2 for this year: 1) go on a long vacation; & 2) refinish the railing and posts in our foyer. Anything else will be gravy!
Do you know where you want to go on your long vacation?
Not a clue about where we might go. Most of our vacations are wrapped around something else. But this time I’d like to go on one that doesn’t include family, friends &/or work obligations. Just go & be. ‘Ya know?
Yeah, it’s been a very long time since I’ve gone on any trip that didn’t involve work or family. Not sure where I’d go. I keep fantasizing about Maine.
I have simple goals–to get through the year with healing and happiness where I can find it.
Those are really pretty complex goals, Margaret.
I want to continue the gradual weight loss that started a year ago Thanksgiving. Forty-five pounds less of me just by cutting back on crap. Only about 100 more to go and I will be sort of happy. I had thought of having gastric bypass but I am glad I didn’t do it. I move pretty well now, and I hope to start up an exercise program that is easy on my joints. Hubby is down a good deal as well. BTW I am 53 so don’t give up your goals for being healthier based on your age.
I also plan to win the lottery.
Good for you! You know, I keep looking at myself and if I would only make and keep a couple quite small changes, I wouldn’t have an issue with weight and could have a healthier relationship with food. Meals are not my problem, snacking is my problem. So don’t snack, eh?
Been trying to win the lottery without buying a ticket for years. I don’t think that actually buying a ticket increases my odds by that much.
1. Move. I hope the boss’s house sells so I can move. I have mixed feelings about leaving the place where I lived and worked for so many years, but I want to know what it’s like to wake up in my own house every morning.
2. Ensure that my grandson gets the best possible education. He starts kindergarten in 2013. He was accepted at a school that we can’t afford. We are applying for scholarships.
3. Get a new job. If I know where I am going to be living, I can apply for a new job. Can I make a living without cooking (probably not). I definitely won’t be living in next time, though. Absolutely not.
4. Take my daughter and grandson to Disney World. He’s just now old enough to really enjoy it.
They need a new cook at the senior center here. Every time they get someone who can actually cook, they don’t seem to stick around. I’d actually consider doing it if I could stand and walk for longer but I suspect the pay is very very small.
Otherwise, I’ve been very stuck in the “what else could I do” place for a long time. I imagine you could do a lot of thing. Be a restaurant reviewer! I happen to know that you’re great at that.
Ooh, happy birthday Zazzy! I’m just reading this on Jan 1st, so sending you lots of good wishes. 50 is such a cool age to be, I’m not dreading it (yet- but I’m only 44 so maybe things will change between now and then). There are so many positive people in the public eye who are 50 or over, I think it’s a great age to be. I look forward to all the posts you are going to write this year, especially the Chicken and Eggs ones, because all the things I’ve tried from there have worked out perfectly (particularly pumpkin stuff, which is quite new to me). I made your pumpkin pie over Christmas for my dad, he’s 81, and it was the first time he’s ever eaten pumpkin pie – he loved it. For my own resolutions, I don’t really do them either, because if I fall off whatever wagon I’ve put myself on, I get dispirited. So I’m concentrating on developing things I’ve already started – currently big into juicing (Jason Vale) so going to explore that further, get some kind of work, spend more time in London, become more proficient in French, read more, start a reading project (possibly all the kid lit books I should have read when I was a kid but didn’t have the opportunity). So much to do! Hope you have a superb birthday and enjoy being 50. Pxx
Thank you! And I hope you enjoy continuing your goals – you’ve done some cool things in the last year. Glad you enjoyed the pumpkin recipes and I plan on making some good things this year.
Happy Birthday, Zazzy! And thank you for the vote of confidence. An undercover career as a restaurant spy sounds delicious, although my metro area is overrun with professional reviewers at the moment. Actually, I bought an online career/personality assessment a couple of days ago and received the registration key. I haven’t taken the test yet, but it’s raining here and what better day that January 1st to get a clue to my potential strengths and weaknesses? I’ll let you know how it turns out.
I look forward to finding out what it says. Mine always says I should be a counselor or a teacher. Meh.
I hope my testing will provide such specific guidance. I took the quick, free version which revealed that I am an “analyzer.” I don’t know what that means in relation to employment.