Wildcard Post: Looking Back at 2009

Last year on January 1st, the company my husband was working for had just been sold, so after thirteen years his employment was on shaky ground. We’d found out just before Christmas that Lucy (our German Shepherd/Lab mix) had a digestive disorder that would require a lifelong commitment to treated food and B12 shots, a discovery that racked up a healthy bill for both the diagnosis and the enzymes she needs. So I was "relearning" how to feed her and praying she would gain weight, while hoping for the best with hubby's job situation. Needless to say, our year did not start off on a pleasant note. We muddled through of course, and while it was touch and go for the first six months, we finally got it together in the last half.

One of the best things that happened to me this year was buying my netbook in March. Once I was “freed” from being chained to a desk to write, my long-time dream of being a writer didn’t seem so rooted in fantasy anymore, and I’ve been writing almost daily ever since.

I won’t bore you with the resolutions I didn’t keep last year – there are always some, and I simply shrug them off. They either weren’t *that* important, or they’ll show up again this year, reworked for better viability as I reflect on why they didn't work out last year.

Resolutions Kept in 2009 (all categories meshed together): 

- Make or buy cloth produce bags to use instead of plastic for groceries. I don’t use bags for produce anymore, though I did crochet some net bags for peppers/onions.

- Replace any worn-out nylon/polypropylene bags with organic cloth (cotton, hemp, etc)

- Learn how to make “natural” fragrances with essential oils rather than using commercial perfume. Did this, and learned how to make my own moisturizer too.


- Make dog food at home. Lucy does better on raw food with her condition, and homemade is cheaper, so I developed a recipe for our dogs.

- Research and try out water-based nail polishes/removers. Tried ‘em, they’re okay.

- Keep working on morning/evening routines. I've done this well, just get lazy occasionally.

- Post a serial novel to my blog twice a week. I stepped down to once per week, but done. This was expressly “resolved” to get myself into the habit of writing regularly, and worked well.

- Do a better job recording our annual Halloween party. Thus the “Scaryview” blog was born…

- Write two first drafts, and start editing one for publication. I made this goal when I started writing in March…and completed it in Dec. with drafts of Her Private Chef (in revisions) and Desert Heat.

That’s a little over half my list from last year - a good percentage, I think. When making resolutions, I keep the following guidelines in mind:

1. Make resolutions that don't require outside interference to complete. In other words, "Submit for publication" is good, "Get published" is bad. "Be a better employee" is good, "Get a Promotion" is bad. Anything that requires the opinion or approval of someone else is beyond my control...and therefore off limits for my resolutions list. I also never resolve to "lose weight" - because that can be affected by outside influences as well. "Be more active" is more realistic for me.

2. Have a plan to succeed. Resolving to "Submit for publication" is all well and good, but I can't leave it at that. It's too easy to be overwhelmed by it. Beneath it I would put the steps I plan to take in order to complete it, and maybe even tentatively schedule those steps in my calendar. When I'm thinking about it is the best time to make a schedule for completion - odds are I won't if I plan to do it "later".

3. Make at least one resolution I can achieve within the first month of the year. It's motivating to reach the end of January, and know that I can already cross one thing off my list.

4. Make at least one resolution that will be very difficult, if not impossible to achieve. I'm always surprised at how much I can do if I push my own self-imposed boundaries. And if I don't get it done, I'll know what doesn't work and can try another approach next year (or decide it wasn't all that important, and choose something else). This resolution is still subject to guideline #1 above, of course.

5. Share the list with someone. I post them on my blog, so everyone can see and keep me accountable if they wish, but if that's a little too public, even trading lists with a good friend can be very motivating. 

So that's my year in review, and how I go about creating my resolutions each year. How was 2009 for you? If you made resolutions, how did you do? Do you have tips or guidelines you like to stick to?

Tomorrow, I'll post my resolutions for 2010. I'm pretty excited about starting fresh this year, on a far less stressful note than last.