Resolutions
A new year is upon us, which means - you guessed it - resolution time! Normally, when I put together my list of intentions for the year ahead, my ultimate goal is to finally bridge the gap between the person I am and the person I feel I should be.
This year, I'm going to try a slightly different approach. I'm thirty years old. I think it's time to put an end to my "should be" time. No resolving to spend more time at the gym, to read "important" books that don't really interest me or dedicate myself to noble causes. Don't get me wrong. Any and all of those are noble endeavours and if I applaud anyone ready to take them on in 2006. But as much as I'd like to imagine myself as a hard-bodied philanthropic intellectual, that just ain't me. This year, I want to spend more time on the things that feed my soul and fill me up.
My Art
I resolve to spend more time with my creative pursuits. Because whether I'm hacking my way though a novel, slopping paint on a canvas or hamming it up on stage, I'm an artsy soul. I imagine. I create. It's not always great good fit for human eyes successful...but it's mine. It engages me and makes me happy to be me. In 2005, my artsy output was as follows:
7 paintings
51,000 words of a (still unfinished) novel
1 stage performance
6 (shockingly brief) film appearances
I also facilitated an improv class and taught playwriting for the first time. This year, I hope to top all of the number above, finish off my novel and add some new projects to the list -- including writing another play. More art!
Travel
I'll admit it...I'm a travel whore. Places are cool. I like going to them. Travel provides the opportunity for new experiences . Or at the very least, it imbues familiar experience with new life simply by virtue of it taking place in a different location. Travel excites me. I never know what's going to happen on a trip. I might meet cool new people or discover an amazing restaurant. Even if a trip sucks, I at least come away with a funny party story about That Trip That Sucked. In 2005 my travels took me to:
Grand Bend
The Laurentians
Toronto
New Jersey
New York
Connecticut
Montreal
Quebec City
Vermont (very breifly)
This year, I hope to go further afield. I'm looking forward to my first visit to Canada's west coast, followed by big adventure in Thailand. I'd also like to find the time for some smaller excursions this year...perhaps do some hiking or biking in Quebec or New England. More travel!
Family
The older I get, the more I realize how much I love my family...particularily my parents. With a divorce looming and the revelation of secret siblings, my relationship with my parents has been difficult these past couple of years. But I feel like we're moving past that and into a new, more healthy phase. I want build a closer, happier relationship with both my mom and dad. I think it will be easier now that they're seperated. Also, I think I'll soon be ready to take the plunge into parenthood myself. Drama King and I have discussed it at length and we think this will be the year we begin the process to adopt a child of our own. It's unlikely we'll actually become parents within the year, but it's terrifying exciting to be heading in that direction. So yeah, parents and (maybe) babies. More family!
This year, I'm going to try a slightly different approach. I'm thirty years old. I think it's time to put an end to my "should be" time. No resolving to spend more time at the gym, to read "important" books that don't really interest me or dedicate myself to noble causes. Don't get me wrong. Any and all of those are noble endeavours and if I applaud anyone ready to take them on in 2006. But as much as I'd like to imagine myself as a hard-bodied philanthropic intellectual, that just ain't me. This year, I want to spend more time on the things that feed my soul and fill me up.
My Art
I resolve to spend more time with my creative pursuits. Because whether I'm hacking my way though a novel, slopping paint on a canvas or hamming it up on stage, I'm an artsy soul. I imagine. I create. It's not always great good fit for human eyes successful...but it's mine. It engages me and makes me happy to be me. In 2005, my artsy output was as follows:
7 paintings
51,000 words of a (still unfinished) novel
1 stage performance
6 (shockingly brief) film appearances
I also facilitated an improv class and taught playwriting for the first time. This year, I hope to top all of the number above, finish off my novel and add some new projects to the list -- including writing another play. More art!
Travel
I'll admit it...I'm a travel whore. Places are cool. I like going to them. Travel provides the opportunity for new experiences . Or at the very least, it imbues familiar experience with new life simply by virtue of it taking place in a different location. Travel excites me. I never know what's going to happen on a trip. I might meet cool new people or discover an amazing restaurant. Even if a trip sucks, I at least come away with a funny party story about That Trip That Sucked. In 2005 my travels took me to:
Grand Bend
The Laurentians
Toronto
New Jersey
New York
Connecticut
Montreal
Quebec City
Vermont (very breifly)
This year, I hope to go further afield. I'm looking forward to my first visit to Canada's west coast, followed by big adventure in Thailand. I'd also like to find the time for some smaller excursions this year...perhaps do some hiking or biking in Quebec or New England. More travel!
Family
The older I get, the more I realize how much I love my family...particularily my parents. With a divorce looming and the revelation of secret siblings, my relationship with my parents has been difficult these past couple of years. But I feel like we're moving past that and into a new, more healthy phase. I want build a closer, happier relationship with both my mom and dad. I think it will be easier now that they're seperated. Also, I think I'll soon be ready to take the plunge into parenthood myself. Drama King and I have discussed it at length and we think this will be the year we begin the process to adopt a child of our own. It's unlikely we'll actually become parents within the year, but it's terrifying exciting to be heading in that direction. So yeah, parents and (maybe) babies. More family!