Resolutions

I must say I'm glad to be done with Christmas. I had the hardest time mustering up Christmas spirit and joy this year. The holiday ended up being kind of a bust anyways. Nearly everyone in my family was sick with either a cold, the flu, or pink eye. Nobody felt particularly festive.
So, with Christmas over and a new year upon us I am excited for the possibilities ahead. I don't usually make new year resolutions but this year I have a few that I really hope I can keep. I'm excited because they offer an opportunity to better myself and to have a bunch of fun.
1. Attend at least one show a month. Nothing makes me as happy as when I get to see a live performance. Whether it is a concert (large or intimate), a musical, or a play I end up leaving on such a high. In years past I would see concerts or musicals coming to town and whine that I can't find anyone to go with so I can't go at all. I've decided that that stinks. Why should my happiness be based on other's involvement. I'm going to go to a show and if I have to go alone, I will.
2. Finish reading all the books I have started in the last few years. I'm not a book lover. I don't get excited to get home and crack open that book that's been waiting for me all day. Every now and then I find a book I can really get into and I usually end up reading it in a day or two. This might happen once, maybe twice, a year. Generally I find a book, read a few chapters, and forget about it. While cleaning my spare room the other day I found 11 books with bookmarks stuck in them waiting for me to finish reading them. They are all perfectly good books. Some fiction, some non-fiction. I've made a nice stack on my dresser and I've arranged them by interest level and alternating fiction and non-fiction. I plan to finish reading all of these books by 2012 and I just know I'll feel so proud when I do.
3. Run in a 5k. I have really enjoyed learning to be a runner and I'm proud of my progress so far. I think it would be neat to participate in a short run. Not sure when just yet but after looking online at all the upcoming races in the area, I know there are a ton to choose from. Now lets see if I can rustle up a friend or two to join me. :-)

Work before play

I'm spending the first day of my Christmas break cleaning and organizing my house. I'd like to get all this work done right away so I can play the rest of my break and not have any monkeys on my shoulders. I decided to start with the big task of my spare bedroom where my brother is going to be staying in less than a week. As I'm going through piles and finding homes for everything and throwing a bunch of stuff away I'm also finding unfinished projects from the past few years. An alarming amount in my opinion. As I'm sifting through them I'm taking an introspective look at myself and I'm concerned that these unfinished projects say something about my character. That bothers me. I don't finish things. Am I quiter? Am I lazy? What is it about these projects that I just couldn't follow through. I know we all have things we let fall through the cracks but that doesn't mean its okay. Are there other areas in my life that I just "put in my spare room" for later? I guess I've got some more work to do before I can play...........