Resolutions

I started these before 2007 even showed up, but due to the family drama that's occurred over the past month, these seemed somewhat irrelevant compared to all that. More to come on "that" when I'm able to get my thoughts together.

It seems I'm supposed to summarize 2006 before I make resolutions. So:

2006 was the year of the eyeballs. Many ophthalmologist appointments, many ointments, allergy tests, eyedrops, tears, and frustration. I was hoping that 2006 would be the only year of the eyeballs, but so far that's not been the case. My new goal is to make it less than 12 months, but it seems a little silly to even set goals like that, seeing as there's a limited amount that I can do to influence things.

Anyway, I imagine you're all sick of hearing about this, so I'll move on. Josh and I took some great trips in 2006: Boston, Houston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Jacksonville, and Orlando, and I got to meet his wonderful family. I spent a week in England with Lauren. My mom and I took a trip to Cape Cod. I said goodbye to Phil, Glenn, June and our apartment in Back Bay and moved into a new apartment with LeeAnn. My brave little hamster who survived the road trip from Houston to Boston died. I spent the entire tax year earning income in only one state! This is the first time since 2000 that I'll only have to fill out one state tax return. I kept up my 2005 resolution to floss every day. I survived my first year of grad school.

So, looking forward, in 2007 I would like to:

1) Keep in touch with friends/family better. I say this every year, but in light of everything that's happening with my family, it seems more important now.

2) Graduate/get a job. This doesn't really feel like a true resolution because it's a goal that will hopefully be gone within the next six months; nevertheless, it's obviously a goal for now, so I'm including it here.

3) Do difficult/ugly things right away. Don't procrastinate! I have this awful habit of not reading uncomfortable emails, not listening to uncomfortable voicemails, and not responding or having a meeting when there's something I don't want to face. The problem is that the more time passes, the uglier/more uncomfortable it gets. I do better with measurable goals, so I'm giving myself a 24-hour turnaround time for these things, barring any extenuating circumstances.

4) Remember that except for life and death situations, nothing is as bad as it first seems. Sorry, I know it's cliché, but it really is something that I need to keep in mind. My mom has a good way of thinking about difficult stuff: ask yourself, "What's the worst that can happen? Is the outcome really that bad?" I feel as though the past two years have increased my overall bent-out-of-shape-ness about things, so I'm resolving to change my outlook and try to de-stress.

5) Go to bed earlier. My usual weeknight has me going to bed late, getting up late, getting to work late, getting home late, and repeating the cycle all over again. So, bedtime for 2007 is 11 pm.