I’m no spring chicken at 48 years old, and I have done my time over the years at making new years resolutions only to last a few weeks and fall right back into the habits of a lifetime, but with the added bonus of feeling like a failure to boot – and that’s before I now factor in a chronic illness that sees me deal with constant pain every day. I’ve certainly learned over the past 10 years of dealing with illness and pain that I have very little control of how my body will be from day to day. It eats away at any control you have over life in general, on a daily basis, let alone factor in dramatic new years resolutions like joining a gym, or getting out running or even walking for that matter. Any activity I do has a huge knock on affect that impacts what I will be able to do either later that day or for a few days after.
So this year, as with the last previous few years, I have opted for very small changes across the year that then accumulate to make a bigger change overall, without putting any pressure on myself or creating unnecessary anxiety. The changes are very small steps that creates a bit of a ripple into the year, and yet they can be totally achievable even with a chronic illness. So there will be no big New Years resolutions here.
I have not made ANY resolutions this year. I have NOT set any major goals to achieve either. My reason being that if I don’t do the things I have vowed to I would I feel like a failure and look back with disappointment.
This year a few things have popped into my head that I would like to make time for, but my life wont stop, or I wont feel like a failure if I don’t really get the chance to do them. I hope that makes sense.
I took a break, not a pre planned determined break but an impromptu, had no time or inclination to write sort of break all over the festive holidays. I was about on Twitter and Instagram and very occasionally on Facebook, but my little spot on the world wide web I completely stayed away from.
There was just so much going on to be honest and I applaud all of you who managed to cope with and enjoy the festivities and find the time to show your blog’s a little love! Anyway I did keep up with all your goings on via the other more instant platforms and loved seeing how you all enjoy the festive season with all your own little traditions and quirks.
I’m not going in for all the new Year resolution crap this year. Diet, exercise, less alcohol blah blah blah!! I’m not knocking those that are- more power to you but I NEVER keep my resolutions so I’m not going to even bother.
I can’t exercise due to the M.E and my diet will get back to normal after all the Christmas food and goodies are eaten. I no longer drink like a fish although I give it a good go on occasion I don’t feel I drink enough to say I need to cut down ( no I’m not an in denial alcoholic- honest).
So with this all in mind I put my own mind to things that I want to learn or achieve this year. I have also kept the list small and very simple so it’s more than possible to achieve and therefore maybe spur me on to do some more.
Since dealing with long term illness I have increasingly become better at appreciating the smaller things in life. Yeah don’t get me wrong I still want to win the Lottery and live the life but in the meantime it nice to find happiness in the LITTLE things.
**So first on the list is to learn to CROCHET!! I know ‘go me’ next I will be at the WI ( did contemplate it actually!). I’m an avid knitter but cannot for the life of me teach myself to crochet. So I have today booked myself on a one day course at a local yarn shop in just over a weeks time- YAY. There is another follow on course in Feb so that will definitely be my next step if I get the hang of it.
Normally Christmas for me brings stress, running around, a deterioration in health, more stress and results in a huge loss of enjoyment of the Christmas spirit!!
This year has been different. Each year I vow to be organised and ready early and each year I fail to do it. But this year I did manage it. I thought of and organised presents early, I had my cards written in October ( don’t shoot me I was just trying to beat my MIL to it…..and I did LOL). My decorations went up on the first weekend getting everyone in the Christmas mood.
I had my OH help me with all the major food shopping AND I made lists about what I actually had in the cupboards and what I still needed. I also farmed out presents as I arranged to see everyone so I didn’t end up delivering them last minute. I even managed to get them all into Christmas jumpers/ tops LOL
I had lots of social stuff on the run up to the big day and after the New Year which meant my actual Christmas week was chilled, relaxed and VERY enjoyable.
New Years Eve was spent at a film ( Walter Mitty) and having food at Bluewater in Kent and then home in the evening to see in the gong’s and celebrations, where I managed to torture the teens and my OH by singing along to Mr Barlow as though I was in the audience.
I haven’t made any rash resolutions this year as I’m a bit shit at keeping them,but there are a few new things I would like to learn for myself, crochet being one and after getting enough Christmas money we are investing in a decent digital camera which we should be able to get soon, so I’m hoping to improve my photography skills and maybe join you all on Instagram! I have also agreed that when someone asked me to get in the photo- I actually will instead of shying away ( as I have found there are loads of pics of the boys but hardly any with me and them).
So here’s to good health ( a cure for M.E would be gratefully received), a bit of wealth and a lot of love and happiness in 2014!
Now I only have to spend 15 minutes on Twitter to know that anyone from there that reads this will be an A, you just have to take a look at the links to blogs and pictures of what your kids (and you ) are up to.
However, I bet if you were completely honest you could name a few parents that you know that are a B, right?
My friend and I have had experience of this over many years, and after taking the kids down to the local park sledging on Sunday we started talking about it on the way home. Yes we had an extra with us then ( i would never begrudge the child ever) which is what started the chat.
That said parent had contacted my friend to say she would call when she needed him back!!!!! ER excuse me……..we will not be gone for the rest of the day, maybe an hour or two!!
So then we started thinking about all the stuff we do even though our eldest’s (who will be 15 this year)are probably getting way too old:
*Halloween, we still have a get together and do the Trick or Treat thing and want to progress on to an ‘older ‘style party to include the adults dressing up too.
*Easter, although family and friends drop the Easter eggs into the boys we keep them aside and still hide them around the house so they have to ‘hunt’ for them in the morning.
*Christmas, my two are old enough to know that ‘Santa’ is not real *cough* however, they do play the game even though they roll their eyes when I go onto the NORAD site LOL
*Pancake day, we still love to have home made pancakes for breakfast before they go to school and after our tea on the same day.
*Summer beach days, in the hols we still love a day at the beach and we still make our sand angels before the tide comes in to cover them.
*Snow, as this is often a very rare sight we make the most of it, they still make a snowman and love to go sledging AND even though they are both old enough to go on their own we like to go with them!! How else do you get those pictures???
*New Year, we had friends around and celebrated with fireworks and we all set off lanterns with our hopes for 2013 written on them ( we wont mention the fact that we almost set our neighbors fence alight! *cough*)
We came to the conclusion that if we don’t as adults make the effort to enjoy these events with the kids they will grow up and never pass on that enthusiasm to their children. I cannot believe there are parents who just cannot be bothered or for whatever reason just don’t do these things. Or is it that they are happy for the kids to go off with others to do it so they don’t have to?
What do you think?
So tell me, what do you do with your kids that you hope they will pass on?
My son has now finished his run in panto this season and my body is very, very thankful it is all over.
The last few days have been spent looking through all the presents again. Taking time to read through books and listen to CD’s and actually play with some of the games that the boys got.
The decorations have come down and have been put away until next Christmas, and the house has resumed it’s normal look and feel. It has been the boy’s last day off today before they return to school and Mr B returns to work. So tomorrow will be blissfully quiet for me.
I managed to enjoy a fabulously chilled Christmas day with the family and my Mum and brother who had come to stay.
That was until my cat made a quick escape past us and caught my mum on the face millimetres away from her eye. These events are not unusual in my house as a few years ago she came and fractured her pelvis trying to play tennis with the boys. Last year we were all ill with ‘Swine Flu’….. I’m sure you are getting the picture now.
Anyway, the last panto show was on New Years Eve. After, we headed off to Bluewater for a nice meal and a cinema visit before returning home to see in the new year and let off our lanterns with 2012 wishes on.
I haven’t caught up on all my blog reading and Twitter following yet so haven’t seen all of your New Years resolutions. I’ve decided to learn new skills this year and get back to my knitting, something I really enjoyed doing many years ago. But also to learn how to crochet as it’s something I have never attempted.
I cannot go down the route of exercise and diet as my body is taking a long time to recover from the panto schedule. Conventional exercise for me is out of the question at the moment as I suffer with chronic pain and chronic illness.
I’d also like to do more reading as this is something I have neglected for some time. I’ve been given a copy of ‘We need to talk about Kevin’ as one of my Christmas gifts and I’m really looking forward to starting that.
So, that’s me back to normality, with a regular routine about to start from tomorrow.
A New Year.
A New Start.
A New Skill.
How has your New year been so far and what are your resolutions?
