Retrospect and Resolve

The year 2008 has been one of the most interesting, terrifying, stressful, and gratifying years of my existence. My life has changed in ways I never expected. All in all, though, I have grown tremendously and I can look back in retrospect and say to myself I did it. I made it through my first full year out in the big scary adult world.

Over the past year, I left a job I held for seven years, applied for and was hired for a new job and love it. I took serious steps towards pursuing my future career. I supported myself financially (for the most part) and learned to buy a little less and save a little more. I am single for the first time in five years. I made new friends. I finally feel settled in Seattle after moving back here a year and a half ago. And now I'm excited for a new year with more changes and more growth.

So, looking ahead to 2009, I have crafted some resolutions:

Be healthy.
Once upon a time in college I exercised five to six days a week and ate healthy. I slept better; I had more energy; I loved the way I felt. So my goal is to get back to that stage, which means exercising regularly and eating better. This will improve my quality of life in so many ways. I will be able to hike farther and faster, and I will feel glorious when I wear my favorite jeans. This resolution will rely on me adapting exercise and healthy eating into my lifestyle as I once did in college. I am not setting a target weight because I believe in sustainability. Which means establishing a lifestyle that I can maintain and sustain over time. Whatever weight that is, so be it!

Read more literature.
Like a lot of word nerds, I have a stack of books in my room on my to-read list. So my resolution for 2009 is to read more literature. I will do so by reading all the unread novels currently on my bookshelf: 35 books total. Some I look forward to reading: Catch-22, Tender is the Night, and The Name of the Rose. Some will be difficult to finish: The Sound and the Fury, Crime and Punishment, and A Farewell to Arms. I plan to record my thoughts about each novel as I finish it. I like this resolution, because even if I don't finish the entire list, I will still have read a whole bunch of great literature. The dormant English major in me is very excited for this resolution.

Try new things.
I already wrote a to-do list for myself in my blog. I have an annoying tendency to be a stick in the mud if I don't push myself to be active. So this resolution is very important to me. I want to try new things like downhill skiing, cycling around the city, yoga, rock climbing, orienteering, taking a design class, and building a Web site. I will challenge myself to step out my comfort zone and try new activities...and hopefully develop some new interests or hobbies along the way.

And...I want to say thank you to all my returning Seattle Swift readers. Thanks for you comments and thoughts over the past six months! I wish you all a wonderful 2009.