A Year of M
As the days darken and the end of the year approaches, I’ve started to contemplate the coming year. In considering changes I’d like to make in my life and things I’d like to improve or work on, I’ve decided to christen next year as the ‘Year of M.’
M stands for Movement. As in exercise. I want to make health a priority, and a critical part of that is regular exercise. So far I think we have a very healthy diet, but I am, for the most part, a basically sedentary person. Particularly with this past year, where I spent 4 months working/studying/working/studying and from then until now doing almost nothing but work. I am comfortable with my weight, but I definitely could use some improvement with cardio, stretching, and strength training.
M stands for Magic and Meditation. Not as in casting spells, because I don’t feel any need to do that in my life at the moment, but more for spiritual growth as a person. I have signed up for a rEvolutions - Elements correspondence course with one of the notable pagans in VT. This is a big part of learning to live a life with intention, rather than rushing from place to place and ending with a well planned death. I plan to focus on mediation techniques, energy techniques, grounding/centering, seasonal living, creative visualization, and fun.
M stands for Maternity. This is something I’ve hinted about in the past, but we have decided that we will start trying for a baby in February, three months from now. We are hoping to end up with a late Fall or Winter birth t o coincide with when both of us have less hectic work lives. This is one of those things that would have been put on hold for at least 2 years, should we have gone along with purchasing a house. We’ve decided that we are ready, and with the paying off of the truck, we have plenty of room in our budget for daycare. Our apartment is small, but has plenty of room to accommodate a baby. I have the next three months to prepare myself for the beginning of this journey. Some of these preparations will include getting to peak health (exercise), a heavy metals detox, preconception counseling, and continuing to declutter and organize our apartment. I’ve been reading pregnancy books and begun tracking my cycle via FAM (fertility awareness method).
Finally, M stands for Management - time and money. Money management to continue to pay down debt (only student loans remaining!), beef our emergency fund back up, open a retirement account for Joel, and putting together a baby fund. I have some interesting plans with regards to baby preparation and are hoping to have a homebirth. This will likely need to be paid for out of pocket, but will still be less expensive than a hospital birth. With time management, I would like to spend less time with a to-do list in hand and more time sniffing roses. I’d like to better separate work time with life time and to spend less time on the weekends scurrying around getting stuff done.
This is just an overview, but I think I’ll have to contemplate specific goals in each category.
M stands for Movement. As in exercise. I want to make health a priority, and a critical part of that is regular exercise. So far I think we have a very healthy diet, but I am, for the most part, a basically sedentary person. Particularly with this past year, where I spent 4 months working/studying/working/studying and from then until now doing almost nothing but work. I am comfortable with my weight, but I definitely could use some improvement with cardio, stretching, and strength training.
M stands for Magic and Meditation. Not as in casting spells, because I don’t feel any need to do that in my life at the moment, but more for spiritual growth as a person. I have signed up for a rEvolutions - Elements correspondence course with one of the notable pagans in VT. This is a big part of learning to live a life with intention, rather than rushing from place to place and ending with a well planned death. I plan to focus on mediation techniques, energy techniques, grounding/centering, seasonal living, creative visualization, and fun.
M stands for Maternity. This is something I’ve hinted about in the past, but we have decided that we will start trying for a baby in February, three months from now. We are hoping to end up with a late Fall or Winter birth t o coincide with when both of us have less hectic work lives. This is one of those things that would have been put on hold for at least 2 years, should we have gone along with purchasing a house. We’ve decided that we are ready, and with the paying off of the truck, we have plenty of room in our budget for daycare. Our apartment is small, but has plenty of room to accommodate a baby. I have the next three months to prepare myself for the beginning of this journey. Some of these preparations will include getting to peak health (exercise), a heavy metals detox, preconception counseling, and continuing to declutter and organize our apartment. I’ve been reading pregnancy books and begun tracking my cycle via FAM (fertility awareness method).
Finally, M stands for Management - time and money. Money management to continue to pay down debt (only student loans remaining!), beef our emergency fund back up, open a retirement account for Joel, and putting together a baby fund. I have some interesting plans with regards to baby preparation and are hoping to have a homebirth. This will likely need to be paid for out of pocket, but will still be less expensive than a hospital birth. With time management, I would like to spend less time with a to-do list in hand and more time sniffing roses. I’d like to better separate work time with life time and to spend less time on the weekends scurrying around getting stuff done.
This is just an overview, but I think I’ll have to contemplate specific goals in each category.