Year in Review

The year of 2016 has almost gone and 2017 is coming. Therefore, it's time to review my 16 goals for 2016:

1) GO! on a cruise. Done! And I want to go on another one.

2) Stop checking e-mail on my phone while at work. I think I decided that I like doing this, but it is helpful to monitor how often and how much I use my phone.

3) Use more glass storage containers and less plastic. Improving. I recently bought more Pyrex-like containers, and my brother and sister-in-law gave me three more for Christmas.

4) Find my rambunctious side again. I don't think I accomplished this one. Maybe I'm just a serious old person.

5) Memorize some new scripture, or at least review the old. I realized that Scripture memory doesn't happen unless I make it happen. Now I try to memorize at least one verse, or part of a verse before eating my snack at night.

6) Clean out the pantry (fridge, freezer, et. al) and go on a grocery spend fast until it is done. This was a good experience and made me realize how wealthy I really am. I seek to continually be vigilant about using what I have, but also enjoying the blessings of sometimes having excess.

7) Purge excess. Soak up blessing. Moving helped some, but I'll need to purge again when I move out on my own. I have so much stuff!

8) Run a 5K. I ran three: the Race for the Cure 5K with housemates, the LPGA 5K with co-workers, and the Patriot Run with my family as spectators.

9) Embrace the quiet. I reinstated silent retreats once a month after realizing that I'd forgotten to do them since I moved to Arizona. I think I will need to learn more about silence for as long as I live.

10) Pursue counseling licensure. Done! Praise the Lord for granting me favor with the State Board. Now I just pray to find a place and a way to use my license.

11) Rest. I'm resting more, but again, I need to learn more.

12) Trim down the processed. Bulk up the produce. (In my diet) Ditto. I can always learn to eat better, but also to have grace with myself when I don't.

13) Bullet journal plan—streamline my to-do list. I find it very helpful to bullet journal my tasks lists in my personal and work planners. I plan to continue this in 2017.

14) Finish the books I have and read more. I think I read 48 this year. That would be four per month.

15) Spend time with and love the people around me. I enjoyed Thai dinner with little brother twice, a weekend away with Mom, and watching a movie with my sister-in-law who visited us for Christmas. I could probably do a better job about being present (not on my phone, cross-wording, crocheting, etc.) while with people, however.

16) Blog. Instagram. Something. (Experiment.) This marks a year of blogging, and almost six months of Instagram. Are these efforts really worth it? Beneficial to me? Beneficial to others? I don't need to write or post for others, but it does make it more fun. It also takes time. If I quit social media (sometimes I have the urge), I'd have more time. But what would I do with it? Crochet (hand-allowing)? Read? Volunteer? I need some down time, but is social media the best use of it? That might be a question for 2017.