Goals to Be Content in 2026

     

A reminder of the past year and that I want travel to be part of 2026.  

     Happy New Years Eve. Will you be out celebrating? I'm still on the fence about my plans. I've been invited to a sisters and if I go, I plan to be home well before midnight and greet the new year in bed. I've still got a bit of the seasonal mood malaise. Earlier, I hit publish on my fiscal list. Money is not life but let's face it, it's a tool to help enjoy the good things in life and I can't say the cost of living isn't bothering me. A couple recent medical/ dental frustrations really put me in a down mood right before Christmas. 

     I eventually come out of my self-pity episodes; I know I need to control the story, take charge, and not just wallow. I don't like that I'll likely have new prescriptions or that my lazy habits and genetics took a toll on my mouth. But I'm getting both dealt with, and perhaps these are the shakes I need to take better care in all parts of my life. So, here's my goals to improve or at least sustain the quality of life in 2026.

Personal healthcare 

• Schedule the regular lab checks that I was delinquent on since my knee replacement follow-up
• Schedule mammogram
• Develop some sort of regular exercise routine. They say it takes 21 days for habits to because the norm. Walking the dogs is not enough. 
• Reduce sugar and salt intake, which by default should be an improved diet
• Lose the weight I put back on between late spring and fall. While more would be better, I'll start there as a goal. 

Social Battery/Connectedness

• Schedule one outing with a friend monthly
• Schedule one group outing with friends quarterly
• Play trivia at least 1X per month
• Assess my charitable giving and include at least one active volunteer engagement
• Decrease social media consumption, specifically Facebook. The forced antagonistic feeds suck energy away. I'll limit use of it for true friend and family connections. I'll still choose blogs, YouTube, and Instagram accounts that feel wholesome, uplifting, learning/ informative and creative and delete those that really are or have become just to sell. 

Mind/ Skill Development 

• Take at least 2 adult education classes 
• Attend at least 2 lectures/ speaking events outside of the regular AAUW meetings
• Continue book clubs and aim to read 25 books in 2026

Travel

• Research and develop budget for another international trip for either fall 2026 or spring 2027
• Plan and take at least one road trip of at least 2 nights, not including any cabin overnights. 
• Stay with pup and bring a friend or sister with at either cabin mid-week, maybe do this a few times

Family Relations

• Schedule one family dinner per month, at my house as opposed to a restaurant (Better financially plus more relaxing)
• Host family book club twice
• Join family lunch group (cousins included) 6-8 times
• See MIL outside of full family at least every other month 
• Four or more cabin day trips when extended family is also there

Home Management 

• Purge office closet
• Work with daughter to purge her old bedroom; update to a guest bedroom or possibly more of a den with a sofa bed
• Simplify front porch area for a relaxing morning spot
• Organize and purge garage, yet again
• Purge 100 items per month ongoing, no matter what type of object, until I feel I've got the free and uncluttered spaces I want. This feels like it may take years. 
• Purge, clean, and update entry hallway and filter area to both be more attractive and more  functional instead of the dump and collect tragedy it's become
• Purge and sort pantry shelves twice a year
• Purge and deep clean refrigerator, freezer, and chest freezer monthly 
• Deep steam clean living room furniture. The pets have taken a toll on it, but it's still in good condition and I don't want to spend money on replacing for a while despite it being nearly 20 years old. 
• Make a list and then get through the various dings and repairs needed. 

     I'd like to do quarterly check-ins on these, perhaps the last Saturday of each quarter. I know it is a long list. It seems I do this every year and don't make much progress. I'm trying and I guess that's a start.