This has not been a particularly productive nor healthy holiday. I blame the weather. We’ve been sitting in -20C temperatures for too long. It was fine the few days before Christmas and during the big day itself, but I’m over it now. There’s been no skiing, few toboggan runs and limited runs to town because it’s so bone chilling to sit in the car until it warms up. This makes it a particularly good time to reflect and attempt a year end review with yourself.
Instead of braving the outdoors, I’ve been hibernating. I’m been reading a lot, avoiding social media and watching various baking championships with my daughter. The upside of the cooking programs is we’ve made bread, frito pie, tortilla soup, beef stroganoff and several other large, heavy meals. I’m also doing Sudoku and netting 9 to 10 hours of sleep a night. It all sounds so restful and lovely on paper, but in reality I’m going out of my mind.
Being surrounded by snow, in a tiny house in the mountains has given me plenty of time to think. Thinking about the year that’s past and the one that’s upon us. Have I been a present parent, a kind wife, a good friend? One day while skulking around the internet I came across this exercise for doing a year end review with yourself. Here is mine:
Significant Happenings of 2017
- Published my first book.
- It became a bestseller (it was my major goal of 2017 to hit this by Xmas).
- Media launch for book opened new doors: Being on The Marilyn Denis Show, CTV Vancouver, City TV Calgary, 600 News Radio, etc…
- Eve goes to junior high. It’s a transition, but with that comes different opportunities.
- I volunteer at Grade 7 sleep away camp. It’s sandwiched between two work trips, but am so glad I made the effort.
- Eve has a very busy summer in her favourite camps (this is a feat of scheduling) and a week away with her friend’s family. It’s so busy we don’t do our usual hikes and day of exploring Calgary. I missed that.
- Work travels to new places: San Antonio (lovely city!), Costa Rica, Cayman Islands, Fogo Island and Jamaica, plus a glitzy party at Fairmont Empress.
- Family trips to: San Diego, Las Vegas, Tofino, Mount Engadine Lodge.
- Couple’s trips to: Okanagan Valley and New York.
- Girl’s weekends in Canmore and Toronto.
- I’ve become closer with my blogger and writing friends. Before they were simply work colleagues, but now they’re some of my dearest friends.
- I try goat yoga!
- We manage to get family photos taken before Christmas.
- Dan and I see Duran Duran, Vanilla Ice and Salt n Pepa in concert.
The takeaway
- 2018 was a fantastic year for hitting major career milestones.
- It’s worth putting the effort in to organize trips around Eve’s school schedule.
- Eve is growing up. I need be strategic about how we spend our time together so it’s not frittered away. I need to put more effort into organizing effortful vs effortless fun.
- Unless I schedule it, I probably won’t see my girlfriends or make it to the gym.
Things to try and do in 2018
When I think about what I want my 2018 to look like, I want to draw in more. I’ve been putting off a few things and I want to get those sorted. I want to….
- Organize family photos. Get prints and put in some sort of albums (online OK)
- Attempt a modest reno (paint, recover chairs, replace stair carpet, etc…)
- Write that pesky media kit for my blog
- Find a work space away from home and work there at least once a week
- Organize my finances in a way that makes me feel more comfortable
- Run regularly on a treadmill
- Buy said treadmill
- Go skate skiing
- Take Eve cross country skiing several times this winter
- Do more hikes in summer
- Host a Canada Day BBQ (yes, you’re invited!)
- Host a board games night
- Use scents more
- Use up all those awesome beauty samples I keep hoarding away
- Get a perfect black handbag – like this one
- Read more (aim for a book a week, but realistically two a month)
What about you? What are your plans for 2018?
You had an amazing 2017 J! Congrats my friend. T