Resolutions are not really my thing but reading all of your New Year’s resolutions in the beginning of the year made me think of what I wanted to do more of this 2021: to read more and eat more fruit.
Compared to my lofty aspirations the year before, which included have a property to potentially AirBnB and learn German, I was glad that my honest intentions for this year were simple but equally meaningful.
Time to evaluate progress after the first quarter of the year.
So far, I have read Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia, The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, The Book of Joy by the 14th Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams, A Promised Land by Barack Obama, and re-read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. They were all nice books that offered me some perspective.
My next read will be a German children’s book called Die Gesichte vom kleinen Eichhörnchen by Elisabeth Zink-Pingel and Marliese Arold. It used to be one of Markus’ children’s books and he gave it to me as a present. It made me so happy!
Two other books are on my to-read pile: Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake and Stop Being Reasonable by Eleanor Gordon-Smith. It has been decades since I had a to read-pile. Exciting.
As for eating more fruit, I would say it is also successful, but not as successful as it could be. Of course, I am able to have at least one serving of fruit every day but that could be better.
Still, I am happy with my progress with this year’s goals. Goes to show the power of setting intentions. We can really achieve a lot when we apply ourselves into it.
How are you going with your New Year’s resolutions or intentions so far?
Markus + Micah 
I didn’t make any this year, so it’s safe to say I’m killing it 😂
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Clever way to go!
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You’ve read so many good ones! Born A Crime is one of my favorites and Entangled Life looks so intriguing! One of my goals this year is to write more fiction. So far I’ve finished two short stories, and now planning to create a Flash Fiction series on my blog to practice more and to get immediate feedback. Wish me luck 😂
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Sending you all the positive energy in the world!
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Well done, you!
Always good to take stock before too close to year-end … then it’s just enough time to panic, right? But now, you have lots of time to readjust and get back on track, should you choose, with your goals for the year!
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Thanks. It is fun to see how things are going. I am not the obsessive type but I find that setting intentions helps me do my things naturally. Did you set any goals for the year?
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Structure allows creativity & organic exploration! I love it!
I am not a great goal setter these … on account that I am retired and my kids are mostly older. My biggest decisions in a day tend to be where I want to run, and what I am going to cook/bake for the day!
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I love what your life has become. Reading about it gives me a sense of calm.
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Thank you so much for the support & encouragement!
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I promised I would submit one article to an external publication every month – doesn’t matter if its gets published, just a test of confidence to set my work up for rejection.
So far I’ve done something every month, but have been lagging for May, this is a timely reminder to get on it!
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That is super cool! Respect for the dedication and challenging goal. Cheering for you!
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😀
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I am not one for New Year’s resolutions and the like. However, in the goal department it would be fair to say that the garden has not relapsed, the pizza oven is being used on a regular basis and one bathroom has been completely revamped. And, apart from all that I now have more work than I can handle, which is a sign of how crazy things still are. COVID is impacting on the roll out of playing music with my good friend at some venues this year, but I think it will happen at some point.
In the book department, yes I have continued to read books in blocks. I download new editions every month and then tend to read three or four at a time. Alice in Wonderland will always be that classic story. I have my grandfather’s copy, which is interesting as to why he had a copy in the first place. My grandfather was a prominent mathematician over here. Lewis Carroll was himself a mathematician – his books and stories often reflect mathematical concepts developed at the time. My grandfather wrote no less than 22 mathematics books and I even proof read one of them regarding high school algebra!
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That sounds awesome, Sean. Always impressed with your resolve and how you handle every day. I still fantasize about seeing your garden and having pizza together. Your grandfather sounds cool and prolific. I thought about the same thing about Lewis Carroll. Was he repressed or just showing another side of himself? I watched this long ass documentary from BBC about how he wrote Alice in Wonderland and it was quite interesting, especially the pedophile allegations.
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That is great that you are doing so well. Congratulations!
I didn’t make any resolutions, so I’m neither disappointed nor pleased. I revel in waking up, still breathing, every day.
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Your perspective is so refreshing. Thank you very much for sharing. The other day, my plant was flowering and I thought about you.
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How very nice! I’ve been telling my family that you live in a tiny house and have a million plants. I’m always impressed by anyone who doesn’t kill most of the plants in their care.
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Thank you! If they are on Instagram, they can see it @tinyhousebagac. One of our friends said he hates seeing our posts because he wants to be here but he cannot. Haha.
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I’ll tell them to look for you on instagram. I think everyone who reads your blog wants to be there with you.
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I would be really happy to meet you here one day!
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I would love to be there.
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Perhaps when the world opens again!
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My flying days are over, and I can’t swim that far. I shall just enjoy you from a distance.
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Haha. Fair enough. We will let you know when we are stateside then.
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That’s a wonderful idea. I’d love to see you in person.
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Same!
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Long ago, I did a course that suggested that as you approached completing your goal you should be making a new one. “Aiming to get to the Olympics is great, but what about when you get there, and beyond?”
Merlin Sheldrake’s book Entangled Life is fascinating and he suggests that there is hope for humanity! A fascinating read.
I do have goals, no NY resolutions, but the pandemic is still having an impact.
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Oh, first, thanks for commenting on Entangled Life. I am beyond excited to read this. I expect it to be on the level of Rachel Carson, at least in inspiring me. Can you share some of your goals? And I see the wisdom in setting new goals. However, the timing sounds stressful to me. I am a believer in taking breaks, and lots of them, too.
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Entangled Life is BRILLIANT! I’m no scientist but the author makes it easy to understand what’s going on under our feet. Amazing stuff! Look up Paul Stamets on YouTube, another guru re fungi.
One of my goals is to illustrate some of my poems using lino/woodcuts but the print workshop we were using closed for the lockdown. However, it will open again sometime and both my wife and I will rejoin. I’m also learning French, very slowly! I did it at school, many years ago, so I’m trying to go beyond that. With writing, I have become more aware of the seasons and try to live and write ‘in season’ from there I also became involved with a small ‘green’ woodworking club and my goal here is to make spoons. In that frame of mind, I found a small project for myself to make a set of Ogham sticks (Google it 🤭) in the wood that shares the symbol. That is an ongoing goal and in that process I might try learning the Irish language or possibly Scottish Gaelic. I’m currently taking part in an online course for ‘Practical Philosophy’ and I’ve revived my interest in Qi Gong. As I’m retired from work and earning a living, every day is a day off! 🤣😎.
I think my example of aiming for the Olympics was a bit off! A better way of explaining it would be the football team who goal set to get to the Cup Final, which they did, but they hadn’t goal set to win. Good luck💖 🙏
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Wow, thank you for this comment – so much positive energy. Much appreciated. Your goals are interesting. I wish you were my neighbor and I will bug you to tag me along your projects. I wish you all the best in all these. I admire you a lot – you keep growing every day and enjoy life through the years. When I am older, I want to be like you.
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Just don’t give up your willingness to learn and keep going always with your yoga 🙏
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Fingers crossed!
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I stopped making resolutions since….
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Fair enough. Do you set intentions? Or how do you go about some goals you may have?
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I set 6 ongoing goals for 2021 at the beginning of the year. I’m happy to report, I am fully on track with 4/6 and doing okay but not great on 2/6. I’m in the progress of reassessing and figuring out what I need to change to get on track with the last two.
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Not bad at all, Michelle. 4/6 is a lot. aand six goals is a lot to begin with! Can you share some of these goals? I am sure I have read it on your posts if you posted about them but by now I have forgotten, sorry!
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Thanks! Here’s a link to the post I wrote at the beginning of the year that outlines my goals. https://boomerecocrusader.com/2021-goals/
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And which ones are working out well?
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I’m doing great with my goals related to blogging, learning, decluttering and exercise. Having a tougher time with cutting out sweets and setting aside dedicated time every day for prayer and reflection.
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Wow, cutting out sugar is tough. What if you do prayer and reflection the moment you wake up so it is done first thing?
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Oh I am just trying to cut back on sugar, not cut it out completely. I don’t think I could ever do that! Right now my goal is no candy during the work day. It’s a start.
Prayer and reflection in the morning might be a good way to get back on track.
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No candy during the workday? Challenging, Michelle. Haha. And yes, I hope you give it a try. I do the same with working out. If I do not do it first thing, it becomes almost impossible to squeeze it in!
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Congrats for being on track with your goals! For me, it has been ups and downs, and ditched my very strict planning method that stressed me out more than anything else. I notice though that I have been thinking more often about my yearly theme (“Presence”) and that I am getting consistent with my Russian classes and working out at least once or twice a week, even if it is for a short amount of time! I still need to find a better balance for blogging though! 😊
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It sounds like you are doing well, too. Well done. Going with the flow is easier when you have set your intention, right? I am always in awe when I remember you are learning Russian. What a skill. Haha. I am lucky the German alphabet is the same. I agree with the blogging – I would like to have a steadier time for catching up with all of your blogs!
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Congrats on achieving your goals! I didn’t set any goals this year. Last year was so horrible… I feel like this year is my year of “appreciation” hahaha…
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Thank you. Last year, I read two books. Oh, appreciation is a good intention. Do you find some things are still hard to appreciate? Haha. And yes, I only knew bits of your struggles last year and they were rough. Still, you pulled through. Well done!
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Everything we’ve undergone makes us appreciate everything up to the littlest of things now.
Imagine, we’ve had something super hard (in March) coinciding our Covid infection, but we seem to not sweat it much because it’s nothing compared to how it was last year…
This year is about being happy because we’ve gone past it through the help of GOD! We can taste good food once again, we can appreciate the beauty of the rainbow, we can smile because it rained! Things that we forgot to notice last year…
We’re halfway 2021, you’ve got time to add more and more! And in German! Wow! Galing!
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Beautiful perspective, Janis. Thank you for sharing. I cannot agree more. I had this realization while reading The Book of Joy – so much joy comes out of suffering – and I am not sure how I feel about that. Must we really suffer in order to be happy? Is it possible to just be happy without going through hardships? What do you think?
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First of all, I know that you’ve mentioned being not religious, but I also know that you’re accepting ❤
I definitely believe that being joyful without the need to suffer is possible. Achieving Joy without suffering is one of God's promises. I live by this wonderful promise God has given in Matthew 6:33.
However, the reality is that it's we're not on 7th Heaven all the time, so I keep James 1:2-4 handy.
I have listened to the Book of Joy… so many affirmations coming from it ❤
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I was raised in a religious household actually. Think mass every Sunday and rosary at night. I have read the Bible three times and have nothing against the faithful. Anything that makes people better is a good thing. One thing that bothered me early in The Book of Joy is why did the Archbishop had a wife and kids? Of course, not all priests are catholic. Haha.
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Christian bishops are married… they used to be called pastors but then pastors who have Phd (i.e. Doctor of Divinity) get to have that higher title… I don’t know about that particular Archbishop though…
I did notice that you have a strong spirituality…
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Yes, I thought such titles apply only to the Catholic Church! Haha.
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Sigh. Not very good with resolutions. LOL.
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You mean you do not set any or have some sometimes and they are just gone after two weeks?
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