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orichalcum at 11:00am on 12/09/2007 under reflection rosh hashanah
orichalcum at 11:00am on 12/09/2007 under reflection rosh hashanahL'shana Tova! I would like to ask for the forgiveness of anyone I may have knowingly or unknowingly hurt or wronged in the last year, and welcome a chance to discuss it if you wish.
This day seems like a good day to think about my goals for the next year.
1. Health: A year from now, I want to be in much better shape. I want to not be overweight, I want to not have chronic back and hand pain (yes, it's carpal tunnel/ulnar nerve pinching, the dr. says), I want to be getting enough sleep so that I'm not chronically tired, and I want to be proactively doing things to prevent future problems.
How?
A. Diet: I'm not really interested or motivated to go for any serious rigorous diet plan. However, I'm making a few regular modifications to my diet. From now on, I will only drink one glass that isn't water or seltzer water each day. Most juices, sodas, coffees etc... are empty calories, and I don't need them. I think I will be healthier if I treat all beverages the way I treat alcoholic beverages, as a treat to be appreciated and savored, but not how I quench my thirst. The corollary is making sure I drink enough, but my seltzer bottles help with that. The other modification I'm going to try in my own behavior is lessening snacking. An easy rule here is that I can't snack in my office-bedroom, which has the advantage of being far from the kitchen. Having to go to the next room for food will hopefully lessen the mindless chewing. Lastly, of course, we need more fruits and vegetables in our diet, and I now have the extra motivation of wanting to prepare those for McLevy. The local Trader Joe's will help here.
B. Exercise: Everyday, I will swim in our building pool for at least twenty minutes. (This makes such a difference in my quality of life, I have found.) At least three times a week, I will also work out for an additional forty minutes in the pool or exercise room. The other four days, I will spend at least half an hour dancing with McLevy. These goals are small, but actually achievable, I think.
2. Work: I want a successful, rewarding career that uses my talents and skills appropriately without exhausting me. Ideally, I want to position myself to get a job teaching at a good small liberal arts college in/near a major city, preferably New York or D.C. for A's interests.
How?
A. Get a job. Yes, it's annoying to have to go through the whole application process again, but I need to go full throttle. Things to work on - carefully personalizing each cover letter, only applying to jobs I want to take, and practicing interviews so I can have a better rate of return on them. I might actually see if I can hire a professional to help here.
B. Get published. Since I don't need to focus on teaching right now, I absolutely need to be churning out writing. Not sending out articles for fear of rejection is a losing game. With the book, I think I need to go back to the 5 pages a day of academic book, article writing, or novel (see later) plan, at least on the days when I have a babysitter.
3. Family and Friends: I want to be happy, to love and be loved, to be a good friend and wife and mom and to have my relationships produce energy, not suck it away from me.
How?
A. Spend more quality time with McLevy. Talk to him and teach him vocabulary without getting all psycho and breaking out the flashcards. Get him toilet-trained and figure out how to deal with the tantrums.
B. Spend quality time with A. My new idea for this is that, every or every other Friday, when the babysitter is here from 10-2, we should have a regular short lunch date out somewhere, as a chance to talk and be with each other without the duties and obligations present at home.
C. Make more friends around here, by cultivating the people I know and don't see often enough (or ever). Call regularly the people who don't live around here, and go to fun social events like weddings and reunions. Remember that friendships, and indeed all relationships, are living things that take a lot of work and care to maintain and strengthen. Look more actively into playgroups and mom-baby classes. Figure out why I seem to have trouble making friends in such situations.
4. Others: I'd really like to add "find a new religious home and community" and "start some new local social-outreach hobbies" to this list, but I'm not sure I'll have time, given the plans above. We'll see how it goes.
This day seems like a good day to think about my goals for the next year.
1. Health: A year from now, I want to be in much better shape. I want to not be overweight, I want to not have chronic back and hand pain (yes, it's carpal tunnel/ulnar nerve pinching, the dr. says), I want to be getting enough sleep so that I'm not chronically tired, and I want to be proactively doing things to prevent future problems.
How?
A. Diet: I'm not really interested or motivated to go for any serious rigorous diet plan. However, I'm making a few regular modifications to my diet. From now on, I will only drink one glass that isn't water or seltzer water each day. Most juices, sodas, coffees etc... are empty calories, and I don't need them. I think I will be healthier if I treat all beverages the way I treat alcoholic beverages, as a treat to be appreciated and savored, but not how I quench my thirst. The corollary is making sure I drink enough, but my seltzer bottles help with that. The other modification I'm going to try in my own behavior is lessening snacking. An easy rule here is that I can't snack in my office-bedroom, which has the advantage of being far from the kitchen. Having to go to the next room for food will hopefully lessen the mindless chewing. Lastly, of course, we need more fruits and vegetables in our diet, and I now have the extra motivation of wanting to prepare those for McLevy. The local Trader Joe's will help here.
B. Exercise: Everyday, I will swim in our building pool for at least twenty minutes. (This makes such a difference in my quality of life, I have found.) At least three times a week, I will also work out for an additional forty minutes in the pool or exercise room. The other four days, I will spend at least half an hour dancing with McLevy. These goals are small, but actually achievable, I think.
2. Work: I want a successful, rewarding career that uses my talents and skills appropriately without exhausting me. Ideally, I want to position myself to get a job teaching at a good small liberal arts college in/near a major city, preferably New York or D.C. for A's interests.
How?
A. Get a job. Yes, it's annoying to have to go through the whole application process again, but I need to go full throttle. Things to work on - carefully personalizing each cover letter, only applying to jobs I want to take, and practicing interviews so I can have a better rate of return on them. I might actually see if I can hire a professional to help here.
B. Get published. Since I don't need to focus on teaching right now, I absolutely need to be churning out writing. Not sending out articles for fear of rejection is a losing game. With the book, I think I need to go back to the 5 pages a day of academic book, article writing, or novel (see later) plan, at least on the days when I have a babysitter.
3. Family and Friends: I want to be happy, to love and be loved, to be a good friend and wife and mom and to have my relationships produce energy, not suck it away from me.
How?
A. Spend more quality time with McLevy. Talk to him and teach him vocabulary without getting all psycho and breaking out the flashcards. Get him toilet-trained and figure out how to deal with the tantrums.
B. Spend quality time with A. My new idea for this is that, every or every other Friday, when the babysitter is here from 10-2, we should have a regular short lunch date out somewhere, as a chance to talk and be with each other without the duties and obligations present at home.
C. Make more friends around here, by cultivating the people I know and don't see often enough (or ever). Call regularly the people who don't live around here, and go to fun social events like weddings and reunions. Remember that friendships, and indeed all relationships, are living things that take a lot of work and care to maintain and strengthen. Look more actively into playgroups and mom-baby classes. Figure out why I seem to have trouble making friends in such situations.
4. Others: I'd really like to add "find a new religious home and community" and "start some new local social-outreach hobbies" to this list, but I'm not sure I'll have time, given the plans above. We'll see how it goes.
thoughtful
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