Wednesday, January 02, 2008

The 18-month Plan

This started out being New Year's Resolutions. It's sort of trendy to not like resolutions, but I like them a lot. I use the new year as a good jumping off point for hoping and dreaming. I work backwards from the hopes and dreams to an actual plan. From the plan, I derive daily and weekly tasks that move me forward. And yes, I carry the plan around with me all the time. I haul it out and look at it when life seems like it's going nowhere -or nowhere good. Social work students will recognize this as nothing more than the case planning we do with clients. It's just that I'm my own client -which must be illegal ;)

This year, as you all know, things got knocked awry. So I need more than a year to get some of these things done; it's more like an 18-month plan this time. The categories are just for my amusement.

Anatomical/Gastronomical/Sartorial

Weigh 110 by August (N's graduation)
Train for a triathlon –whether or not you do one!
GITAP (long-distance bike ride)
Daily yoga practice
Have people over for brunch regularly
Build a wine collection
Keep a bottle of good champagne in the fridge
Find a neighborhood bar
Exercise 6 days a week
Maintain relationship with Sarah the wonder-hair-dresser
Rock climbing –the goal is weekly climbing, but I’d settle for twice a month –in March, become a member
Get better work clothes
resume daily riding as soon as the weather allows
go the gym at least three days a week
set up workout room and yoga space

Romantical/Platonical/Familial
Figure out a way to do this relationship demise thing gracefully and how to survive it.
Send birthday cards
Get an address book
Update it
Write to out of the area friends
Update emergency contact information
Get a will and advanced health care directives
Update funeral arrangements

Habitational
Buy the house
Get a new furnace and central air
Re-create the gardens
Buy some new furniture -new couch and some outdoor furniture
Focus on safety, security, and grace

Professional; Financial; Educational
Re-learn to do a cartwheel
Take a few yoga workshops
Think about the next job –craft the plan
Write the preemie knits book
Get the preemie pattern book published
Work for the 18 months I promised at Hesed House.
At 12-month anniversary, start looking for the next thing. Keep working until you find it.
Keep planning interesting things at the yarn shop.
Attend an international conference.
Keep the idea of a social justice institute alive in your heart and mind -what can you do to make it a reality?
Retirement planning, in this brave new single world :(


Spiritual; Communal
Find a volunteer opportunity that nurtures you and does some good.
Buy flowers once a month
Join a book club
Donate blood
Become an NPR member
Get back to buying organic and fair trade whenever possible
Advocate for bicycling in town and elsewhere
See if Newman can still be your spiritual community -haul your sorry self back to church!
Reconnect with almost-lost friends
Nurture connections with all friends
Daily meditation as part of yoga practice

Expeditional; Recreational
Go to the movies once a month
Travel outside of the US
See live music and dance
Stay up dancing until the wee hours of the morning
Sib trip
GITAP
Start planning for a volunteer vacation –internationally
Figure out a way to go to an international conference.
Save for Tuscany trip

9 comments:

Lexy said...

Holy cramolie! You got yourself some list there!

I thought I was doing good saying I'd exercise 6 days a week (and only to myself in case someone wants to hold me to it).

But if I hang with you once in awhile, I can add going to the movies, going to brunch, and taking classes at your yarn shop. :) :) :)

Renee said...

So is the cartwheel for professional, financial or education purposes? REALLY curious about that. ;)

Great list (both terrific and HUGE.)

Lisa :-] said...

Forget the cartwheel. After a certain age, they become physically impossible.

If you accomplish this list in a decade (much less 18 months) you will be a Nobel Prize candidate.

:-]

jill said...

eeeyow! What a list!

I agree with Lisa - I think if you accomplish half of this in a decade you're in for the Nobel.

(And who knew I was trendy? I've always hated resolutions for myself.)

Andrea Rusin said...

The cartwheel goes in educational because it involves the word "learn". It was a bit of a stretch, I grant you ;)
And really, you think it's too long? I CAN be fairly delusional about what I can get done in a unit-time.

behaha said...

I think it's inspirational!

Lexy said...

If you dearly want to accomplish everything on the list, I think it's a lot, meaning could lead to disappointment. If you want a selection to chose from and try to accomplish 3 or so in each category, I think it's fine. Then when you do MORE than the 3, you'll feel like superwoman!

Loretta_S said...

Yeah I didn't know I was trendy either. I've always hated new years resolutions. But I suppose that a lot of the things I've been doing for many years are trendy now. I'll just consider myeslf a trendsetter.

However, I do like your idea of a plan and working back to daily goals. That's that part that I seem never to do, the daily goals part. So my plans are more like dreams than plans. You're a smart cookie, Andrea. I think I'm going to work on mine this week and NOT just because it's new years.

Anonymous said...

This kind of makes me think that we won't be seeing much of you anymore. Like maybe a blur will enter our field of vision for a moment and someone will say, that must be Andrea. Also make a resolve to take naps. They are so good.