It is the space in between Christmas and New Years that I love the most. It's chaotic. It's peaceful. It's messy. It's a fresh start. It's all of those things at the same time and more.
I have never quite relied on the January 1st, new year, new you marketing messages like many around us. However, I have always loved goals. I have always enjoyed list making. And I strive to continuously plan, strategize, and think in the big and small on what it looks like to be an intentional family unit.
Each year I focus on a theme or "one little word" to help not only my family be intentional in a space that needs intentionality, but also a word that I know will challenge me. A word that I will grow in. A word that will help guide my best "yeses" and my best "noes".
While I am working on what 2023 will look like for the Bahorich Abode, this space along with the physical house and our family and friends that dwell in it, I also believe in the importance of sharing the wins and losses of this past year.
I created a list of goals, 22 for my 2022 year. Some were easy and already planned activities or events. Others were more of the one degree shifts that ultimately make a larger impact. Some were challenging as our family reacted to our kids' needs, one another as spouses, and financial goals. But since I continuously strive not to create a space on the internet where it looks like this household has it all together, because none of us do... I wanted to take some time and share what went well on this list... and what really didn't. Let's first start with my list...
Here’s my list:
- Run a 10k
- Make $2,022 reselling things that no longer serve us
- Buy no books, makeup, nail polish, wrapping paper, or shampoo (until what we have is completely gone)
- Make and send one “just because” card
- Complete our will
- Travel out of the country
- Plan two dates with my husband every month
- Write more often
- Read one book a month
- Save $xx,xxx for my new car
- Unsubscribe to 95% of the emails I receive
- Plan myself a personal retreat
- Finish my 2021 Summer Video Project (thanks The Chavara Story for continuing to encourage me)
- Spend 1 hour outside each day on weekends
- Use my actual camera more again
- Shop secondhand first for my clothing
- Set firmer boundaries with work
- Explore a new way to create and express myself
- Visit a new city
- 22 hikes
- Update Lillie’s and Ollie’s Lucy Darling baby books
- Leave my phone in another room more often
What went well?
- Run a 10k
- Make $2,022 reselling things that no longer serve us
- Travel out of the country
- Read one book a month
- Save $xx,xxx for my new car
- Unsubscribe to 95% of the emails I receive
- Finish my 2021 Summer Video Project (thanks The Chavara Story for continuing to encourage me)
- Shop secondhand first for my clothing
- Explore a new way to create and express myself
- Visit a new city
So I knocked 10 items completely off the list. Not quite 50% of my goals, but it was a good dent in some areas that I really wanted to make progress in. For example, I read not just one book a month (12 was the ultimate goal), but I read a total of 20 full books... and started a handful of others. I didn't finish books I didn't fall in love with "just because" and I really found my grove for reading again. I want my kids to find a love for reading as well and I can confidently say that this year they observed their mama reading more than ever. Reading takes a shift of your time and a significant commitment of time as well. It was a great goal to knock off of the list.
We saved a huge chuck of money for my future car once my current car stops working and I sold or gifted away so many things that no longer serve us. I thrifted items for my closet often and paused a lot when I would see a good deal on clothing for the kids or myself to see if we truly needed it.
What went okay?
- Buy no books, makeup, nail polish, wrapping paper, or shampoo (until what we have is completely gone)
- Plan two dates with my husband every month
- Write more often
- Plan myself a personal retreat
- Spend 1 hour outside each day on weekends
- Use my actual camera more again
- Set firmer boundaries with work
- Leave my phone in another room more often
I can't say "yes, we did all of these things excellently"; however, we made a ton of progress on the items here. I can't say I bought zero books this year and yet, I used the library first and only bought maybe a total of three in the past 12 months solely because it was not available at the library for digital or print borrow (as in it didn't exist in our library system at all) and I wanted to read it immediately. I also did a similar thing with nail polish... Do I have this color? No. Do I need it right now for something specific? Probably. Is it more than five dollars? No? Sold. I ran out of wrapping paper before adding more into this house and I can't think of the last time we bought shampoo at all. It was probably in 2021...
Dusty and I traveled a ton in the first half of the year, which lead to a rocky rhythm of date nights. We opted to spend our monthly budget on more elaborate things (like a playoff game for the Cardinals) so the twice a month goal was not met. But that's okay because we shifted as we felt was necessary.
While I did set firmer boundaries for work, I still feel like there is some work to do in this space. I feel more balanced than I did this time last year, but I would love to see myself modeling outwardly what I do with my time to make me feel balanced and help others find their own balance as well.
What never made it into reality?
- Make and send one “just because” card
- Complete our will
- Plan myself a personal retreat
- 22 hikes
- Update Lillie’s and Ollie’s Lucy Darling baby books
When I saw "never made it into reality"... I mean it. I haven't sent a card. We haven't started a will. And while I did daydream about a personal retreat more than a few times, I haven't pulled the trigger. We did go outside more often, but I'm not sure you'd consider any of them a "hike" and those baby books... I may have touched them once in the past 365 days...
Overall I hope this helps put things in perspective as we head into the new year and you see others' lofty goals and aspirations. No one is doing it all. Everybody is not doing everything. Celebrate the wins, but be kind to yourself for the misses and do-overs. Looking forward to the new year!
