Goals

My 2017 New Year's Goals:
  
Be available for Rachel and whatever she needs. Always ask questions, even lame ones.  Invite her to do everything (especially fun stuff) - hiking, crafting, games, shopping etc.  Always say good morning before anything else.  Keep inviting her mom and brother up to the city.  Encourage her to reach out to people, to ask her own questions (including lame ones).  Explore colleges with her. Be open, but not too scary emotional. Encourage her to open up.

Break out Robert's enormous collection of family videos and watch them with Robert, his mom, Audrey, and Rachel.  Last time I tried this I became disenchanted after watching an hour of toddler Robert tootle around his mom's waterbed on his tricycle.  Yes, his mom filmed everything. Including lots of footage of Rachel's mom, dad and other family members, which is why I think she'll be excited about the idea. 

Be there for Robert.  Encourage him to make more time for play. Like tootling around on his bike or scaring people and dogs with his drone.  Spend less time nagging, and if I can't help myself, only nag with sincere affection.  

Make family a priority.  Make sure people that I love haven't fallen off the face of the earth.

More floor time with the dogs and less pushing them to do too much with their aching, geriatric bodies.  But play ball. Even if it's more cuddles than throwing, keep surprising them with the green sphere of happiness.

Write.  Paint.  Collage.  Sew.  Create every day, no matter what.  Keep putting myself out there.  

Learn to zoom loom, or at least keep trying until the thing mysteriously ends up in 20 pieces scattered about the neighborhood. 

Use my sewing machine.  Make pillows Robert can't refuse.

Keep throwing myself with utter dorkiness into my library job and go after everything.  Ask questions, shadow storytimes, write reviews and observe librarians who kick ass.

Laugh every day.  Make someone else laugh every day.  

Be kind.  Have patience.  Grow.  Listen.  Creatively dispose of anger and negative emotions.  

Tennis.  Bicycling.  Walking/hiking.  Yoga.  Move every day, but don't overdo it.  Continue eating healthy food and less sugar.  Try a new recipe at least once a week.  Get comfortable in the kitchen. Help Robert and Rachel in the kitchen when they're making stuff. Experiment wildly with smoothies.  

Read.  Always have an audiobook going.  Learn a little more about the movies and genres I don't like so I can be more helpful at the library.  Keep making a valiant effort to read whatever Rachel's reading in her English classes.  I finished Lord of the Flies if you can imagine that, and the best part of the whole experience has been trash talking the book with Rachel and Robert (who is also making a valiant effort to read what she's reading in English).​

And lastly, always seek balance, but don't be too hard on myself if things get a little crazy or off-kilter.  Find the humor and/or beauty in everything.