Day Six: Starting to Get Antsy

Happy December 27th! I am sitting in the guest bedroom at my mother's house, waiting for the dawn and for her to wake up so we can start our day. We ate all day yesterday - a full breakfast, a late lunch of lazy lasagne, and then another batch of lasagne for dinner with a friend. I moved all of my gifts upstairs for packing and mailing, but I haven't done much of anything else. We thought my mother would have some friends coming through, but that didn't happen. I think my ability to keep my sister at home without shopping is coming to an end, so I anticipate that we will be leaving the house today to find some things to ship home.

I don't know about you, but I am exhausted this year.

There has been something going on that has just made everything more difficult to accomplish. I have finished many things on my quest board for this year, but the things that I have prioritized have slipped away. 

I made great strides on my health quests this year. I combated my fear of all things medical and got a mammogram, a sleep apnea test, and spent LOTS of time in specialists' offices. I was allergy tested and then told I didn't have asthma, but I could still plunk down over 6K in allergy shot fees. I gained weight which was NOT on the quest list, but I will work on that particular health situation this upcoming year. 

I did pretty well on my financial quests as well. I was able to up my contribution to my 401K and am almost finished paying off my credit card debt. Once that debt is paid off, I will have more financial room to do things like travel the way I want to. I have made some new decisions about services that I have to use for my house, so I am feeling like I am more secure than I have been since moving in (when my bank account shrunk due to mortgage costs). That is a good situation to be in at the end of the year.

I traveled this year. I went to Nebraska and then to Vancouver, British Columbia for music therapy things. I am now here at home as well. I hope to go on a trip to see family, friends, and Washington D.C. this summer. I may also take myself on a couple of weekend junkets - who knows? I enjoy the process of traveling, so that is something that I want to prioritize in the new year.

I have a new quest board that I made about a month ago. To make these boards, I take a piece of watercolor paper, fold it in half, and decorate it with stickers and fancy writing. I am a bit of a sticker hoarder, so I force myself to use some of the stickers that I usually just like to look at. The quests go along with my word of the year, so I intend on making the boards reflect that word as well. I thought I had my word for the year, but I changed it just recently, so I am making the board match the new word now. 

On my quest board, I write down things that I need to do (health tests and the like), things that I want to do (aspirational goals), and possibilities. I keep the board in my home bullet journal, moving it from spread to spread so I can cross things off when I accomplish them. It serves as a physical reminder of my quests for the calendar year. I am looking forward to retiring the board for 2023 as 2024 approaches.

Right now, though, I am starting to get a bit antsy as I am waiting for my family to wake up and start their days. I am going to cook dinner for us all tomorrow. Today, we will be going to get Mexican food at their favorite place. I've been there before, and I enjoy it as well - no gravy on chimichangas out here! (Long story...) I anticipate that we will also go thrifting and possibly book buying. After that, who knows?

While I am waiting, I could probably start arranging and organizing my gifts. I need to remember to take lots of pictures today for my travel scrapbook journal thing. I will also be on the lookout for tags and papers and brochures to put into my journal. I have taken one picture so far. That will NEVER do!

In the back of my brain, I am churning out new ideas and quests and situations that I want to experience this year. I love this time of year because it seems that this time construct that we have established is a new start for us all. It really doesn't have to be, but I often fall into the category of optimist when it comes to thinking about the new year. I am ready to start my quests and continue my journey through life.

For now, though, I am going to concentrate on just being in the presence of the people I love more than anyone else.

Happy 27th of December - Full Moon Day!

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