New Year More Life Changes

     


     Happy New Year and welcome 2025. I am hopeful, probably the best word, that life changes in the year ahead will be positive. While I hope for things for others, my children mostly, anything they do or don't is of their own volition. No one else's life is my responsibility anymore. That's both liberating and scary ( and lonely). Of course there's the we're all humanity and have a responsibility to the collective good philosophy. I'll step in to help when needed by my family and friends of course- a whole story on that from last night to come. 

Here's a few hopes for myself. 

  1. Successful transition to retirement.
  2. Continue to lose excess weight while getting stronger and improving my health.
  3. Expand my social circle through activities.
  4. Affordable and (some) slow travel.
  5. Live more sustainably. 
  6. Improve relationships while establishing my own needs within them. 
  7. Taking the wheel, steering the rudder, of my own life. 

     That last one is pretty abstract in that I'm not sure what I even mean. It is the platform for the first six hopes though. I'm responsible to make those hopes happen by choices and intentional acts. Likewise, avoiding decisions and not acting will keep me where I am now, a not very happy person. I figure I'll use part of today pondering a sort of game plan for these hopes. I'll use my blog as my tracking on any efforts, success, setbacks, and outright fails. In doing that, my hope is I'll keep moving forward, even if I need to adjust my course. 

Comments

  1. Cheryl KimbleyJanuary 1, 2025 at 7:52 AM

    Hoping the new year is good to you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMJanuary 2, 2025 at 5:51 AM

      I sure hope so. It has not started out great.

      Delete
  2. VixJanuary 1, 2025 at 7:53 AM

    Sending you loads of love and every happiness for the New year, Sam. You can do this, we're all behind you! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMJanuary 2, 2025 at 5:53 AM

      I need the support. Already scared that the year will be a challenge.

      Delete
  3. AprilJanuary 1, 2025 at 9:37 AM

    Here's to a brighter 2025 for us all. Sam, I love your resolutions and think #7 is the foundation for the other 6. May the year ahead work well for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMJanuary 2, 2025 at 5:53 AM

      It is the foundation...but already feel like the forces of nature are working against the hopes.

      Delete
  4. AnonymousJanuary 1, 2025 at 10:19 AM

    Happy New Year! I hope it finds you healthy and content. I feel a different sort of peace this morning. No pressure to clean, organize, lose weight, be the best me. Here’s to loving what we like this year and making our own happiness. JoAnn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMJanuary 2, 2025 at 5:54 AM

      That's great for you JoAnn. I don't feel pressured so much as anxiety.

      Delete
  5. Chef OwingsJanuary 1, 2025 at 12:58 PM

    A healthier and financial stable 2025 for you... song Jesus take the wheel lyrics popped in my head LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMJanuary 2, 2025 at 5:56 AM


      I thought of that after I typed, and I hate that song with what I think ar
      I thought of that after I typed, and I hate that song with what I think ate empty platitudes.e empty platitudes.

      Delete
  6. JiCaLuJanuary 1, 2025 at 2:37 PM

    Woot woot, bring on the new year for you. Sending loads of love and support from afar!

    ReplyDelete
  7. CelieJanuary 1, 2025 at 5:51 PM

    Excellent hopes. I wish you the best for this new year. I'm working on defining some hopes for myself.

    ReplyDelete
  8. BelindaJanuary 1, 2025 at 7:27 PM

    I just love your hopes for the New Year, Sam. They really spoke to me and I hope and pray 2025 is very good to you. 💕

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMJanuary 2, 2025 at 5:57 AM

      To you as well, Belinda. How's the recovery coming along?

      Delete
  9. Anne in the kitchenJanuary 2, 2025 at 8:46 AM

    I do like your list.
    Wishing you every good thing in 2025. I know with some of the changes you are making this year you feel a bit of uncertainty, but the only constant in life is change. I hope you can find a way to navigate the changes with some measure of adventure .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMJanuary 2, 2025 at 4:06 PM

      I guess living without being broke will be an adventure right? I just got another jolt to my plan.

      Delete
  10. AnonymousJanuary 2, 2025 at 10:13 AM

    Your list sounds really balanced for the year. I will be reading & cheering you on over here! The part about parenting resonated. It's both scary & freeing to see your kids emerge as adults. I'm still on the "scary" side, especially as mistakes are made, and the stakes are high. But, we all learned along the way, and it's part of adulting, even when difficult. Sending you great thoughts for 2025! (Hawaii Planner)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMJanuary 2, 2025 at 4:07 PM

      My youngest got sucker punched in the world of adulting the last few days. She is navigating it so lessons learned.

      Delete
  11. LorraineJanuary 2, 2025 at 1:43 PM

    Wishing you all the best for this new year!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

If you comment anonymously, it'd be nice to have a name to go with the comment. It helps me string other people's comments and therefore their experiences together.

Popular posts from this blog

So Very Tired

      Apologies to Michb as I think I deleted her comment from my last post. I've never read anything but kindness from you, so please know the lost comment was not intended. I'm just really tired- who knows if others were deleted too. Any supportive comments are appreciated, though likely won't be discussing my in-laws in my blog much in the future. It's not fair for me to write about them or have any expectations.      We think the raccoon issue is resolved, but not before yet another call. It's not cheap to have critter incursions resolved. I was lamenting to my son that maybe I shouldn't try and keep the house. He's a help of course, but this isn't his long term plan, or quite frankly intermediary plan. His response was that yes, it is a lot of house and property to take care. He knows my husband handled the bulk of house maintenance and outside care. My son's been a city living apartment dweller since his junior year of college. He'll be a c...
Read more

Struggling in Year Two as a Widow

Image
           If you are not in the mood for a post like this, I will take no offense. Skip on over and hopefully another day I'll be a bit better spirited. This is for me really after another challenging weekend trying to cope. I'm really struggling in this second year of being a widow. Maybe it's the season; this should have been our first summer to really enjoy the extra time together. He was to have retired Labor Day weekend last September, and we'd be spending nights going to music by the park events, weekends and my days off either on an adventure or at the cabin, happily tooling around in the boat that he waited decades to buy. I can't stop thinking about the wasted opportunities when we had them and took time for granted. The planning for my own retirement almost sickens me to see the unused financial sacrifices he made to secure our future.        I focus on my kid's happiness but they each seem just as stuck, but in different ways...
Read more

A Check-in

Image
      I'm amazed how people that I've only met virtually can become such good friends and a support system. I've not been feeling like blogging for several months and not sure when I'll resume. However, I feel I owe so many of you that have checked in by comments or emails to at least let you know I'm still here, still getting from day to day.      I had a successful knee replacement back on August 7th. Recovery has been slow, but is progressing in the manner the surgery and PT team say they aim for. Getting the 0° leg extension, and the 120°+ bend has been the challenge. I'm battling fatigue when trying to walk as long as I'd like and restlessness at night, but pain has been very manageable. I'm working intermittently and will through the rest of September. In October, I'll work around weekly formal PT appointments and daily rounds of  continued PT exercises on my own. A few other health issues came to light or resurfaced in preparing for surgery, m...
Read more