2011 goals and stuff

Oh man, it's that time of year we're supposed to set goals for 2011. Crap. And I've already eaten a very fattening piece of chocolate chip banana bread this morning. That I baked yesterday with wayyy to many chocolate chips. Oink. What was I thinking.


So let's see. Goals. Well, first, today is December 29, and today is the first day I am officially third trimester with this little baby girl. :-) So, goal number one has to be to continue to be good to my body, chocolate chip overload aside, and have a healthy little babe in March.

It is also the two-month mark from the day I got officially laid off. So, a very important goal is to keep plugging away at my job hunt and keep the faith. I know I have good skills, I work hard and love challenges, so someone will hopefully see that soon, right? Right? I'd cross my fingers and toes if I thought it would help. I recently got rejected for a job for which I was a finalist. It sucked, but seeing that the person I interviewed with multiple times didn't tell me I didn't get the job, but let the HR department send me a form email instead, it's like, really, would I want to work for someone like that? Seems kind of gutless to me, but maybe I'm naive and old-fashioned. I've hired a few times in my life, and when it came to final candidates, I always called them personally, even the ones who didn't make the final cut. It's an awkward call to make, but the decent thing to do.

Today is also my parents' wedding anniversary. 43 years, wow. I love you, Mom and Dad. I vow to keep in touch better. Though you guys could call me more, too. *wink*

More goals: My husband and I will juggle two little kids this year -- it's one thing to just have one, but wow, two. In diapers. *crazed* I am really going to work on being patient and taking things day by day and trying not to get too flustered if the house is too messy or other chaos. Being an older parent, I find that I am less patient with messes, being late for stuff, you know, less than nearly perfect. I have to let go of that, and it's not easy. At least when I was a mom in my 20s there was way more stuff I did.not.give.a.crap.about, like how long the dishes sat in the sink. Now? Shudder. Let it go, right? Right? As for my teenage son, who will graduate from high school this year, I am going to also work on my patience -- God help me -- and enjoy these remaining months with him. Because once he leaves for his dad's this summer and then off to college in the fall, it's never going to be the same. Which is weird and sad (but good, I know) to think about.




OK, let's get to my favorite kind of goal -- running stuff. I first am promising myself that I will have to be flexible -- sometimes the 5 a.m. run isn't gonna happen if one or more kiddie has been up and down all night. I also won't do something stupid like sign up for a half marathon four months post-partum and be all pissed at myself when I run a personal worst time. Which may have happened after the little toddler man was born. My goal is to get a half marathon in next fall, when I'm about 6-7 months post-partum, and just do what I can do. 2012 can be my year for PRs (personal records), hopefully. Oh, and keep doing yoga each week. It's amazing how much younger my back feels when I stick with yoga. :-) It's not as enjoyable as running, but it makes my running better and that makes me happy.

Finally, and this shouldn't be last, I want to be more knowledgable about the world. I really isolate myself. I'm reading this book, fiction, but it's based on the history of Afghanistan in the last 20 years and chronicles the lives of two women. I got so agitated last night reading what these women endured, and what their children witnessed. I'm ashamed that I am tempted to just close my eyes so I don't have to be upset by what's going on elsewhere in the world. And thinking, oh my God, how on earth could I make a difference? I don't have an answer yet, but I do want to think of some way I can do something useful and selfless for the world besides just donating $20 here and there to charity. I'm open to ideas.