New Year's ruminations
Dec. 31st, 2017 11:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missroseroseIt sounds like a humblebrag, but really it's not - I haven't been doing reflective New Year's posts the past few years, in large part because my life is going pretty darn well. It's not that overall-positive years aren't worth reflecting on, but it feels a little like tempting fate - if I outline all the ways my life has gone well and how fortunate I've been, perhaps the deities of misfortune will see it and remember that they haven't got round to me yet. Silly, yes, but a very real feeling nonetheless. And that's not even taking into account the fact that many of my friends haven't been half so lucky, and probably aren't super into the idea of listening to me go on about my awesome life.
But I want to state, for the record, that - a couple of smaller-scale failures and misfortunes aside - I have been happy, and I'm well aware of how fortunate I am. I'm lucky enough to have two jobs that provide ample opportunities for both growth and rewarding moments. I'm lucky enough to have the kind of fiscal support that makes self-employment enjoyably challenging rather than stressful. I'm lucky enough to have a community of people who generally like me - asosprey_archer was mentioning, when you've never been a particularly popular person, it's surprising how great it is to walk into a place and have people be genuinely happy to see you. I'm lucky enough to have a supportive spouse I adore and live in a city I love in a country that remains a great experiment - inconclusive as yet, but worth fighting for nonetheless. I'm lucky enough to be in excellent physical health, in easily the best shape of my life. Most of all, perhaps, I'm lucky enough to have many interests and the time, opportunities, and supportive environment to explore them. And for all of this, I'm grateful.
I've never really been a big one for resolutions, but a post someone made on Facebook caught my eye, suggesting that, rather than make a general goal like "lose weight" or "read more", your resolutions be in the form of nine specific things: three things to read, three things to learn, and three things to do. So I think I'll break with my (non)tradition and set those goals.
To read:
--Yoga Sequencing. I don't feel I'm doing too badly just winging it, but I know I have so much room for improvement on this front.
--The Master & Margarita. I've heard from several people how excellent this book is, and I've been putting it off largely because I haven't felt I'd have the context for it. So I may need to brush up on Russian history first, but I will get to it this year. (It's not even that long a book!)
--Gentleman Jole & The Red Queen. I've been putting this one off because I know I'm going to love it and I know I can only read it for the first time once - but really, that's kind of a silly reason to not read it. Life is uncertain!
To learn:
--Some new massage techniques. This is rather vague, but it's going to happen regardless - I need to do some continuing education in preparation for my license renewal this year, so what I learn is probably going to depend on what opportunities I can find that fit into my schedule.
--To play "Same Old Lang Syne" on the piano. Simplistic? Maybe, but it'll take me a good amount of study to get there, so there's a fair amount of work implied here.
--More Swedish - specifically, more spoken Swedish. I'd like to get my spoken understanding up to where my written understanding currently is: enough that I can follow the gist of most conversations.
To do:
--Recruit some friends for karaoke. I've missed singing, and would like to do it more. Bonus if we can make it a semi-regular thing.
--Buy a house. Brian and I have been dip-toe-squealing about this for two years now, but this spring we're going to get pre-approved and start looking in earnest.
--Take guitar lessons at the Old Town School of Folk Music. I've been saying I want to do this since before we moved to Chicago. And I hear one of my friends is interested in doing the same, so I think I'll coordinate with her and see if we can't do it together.
But I want to state, for the record, that - a couple of smaller-scale failures and misfortunes aside - I have been happy, and I'm well aware of how fortunate I am. I'm lucky enough to have two jobs that provide ample opportunities for both growth and rewarding moments. I'm lucky enough to have the kind of fiscal support that makes self-employment enjoyably challenging rather than stressful. I'm lucky enough to have a community of people who generally like me - as
osprey_archer was mentioning, when you've never been a particularly popular person, it's surprising how great it is to walk into a place and have people be genuinely happy to see you. I'm lucky enough to have a supportive spouse I adore and live in a city I love in a country that remains a great experiment - inconclusive as yet, but worth fighting for nonetheless. I'm lucky enough to be in excellent physical health, in easily the best shape of my life. Most of all, perhaps, I'm lucky enough to have many interests and the time, opportunities, and supportive environment to explore them. And for all of this, I'm grateful.I've never really been a big one for resolutions, but a post someone made on Facebook caught my eye, suggesting that, rather than make a general goal like "lose weight" or "read more", your resolutions be in the form of nine specific things: three things to read, three things to learn, and three things to do. So I think I'll break with my (non)tradition and set those goals.
To read:
--Yoga Sequencing. I don't feel I'm doing too badly just winging it, but I know I have so much room for improvement on this front.
--The Master & Margarita. I've heard from several people how excellent this book is, and I've been putting it off largely because I haven't felt I'd have the context for it. So I may need to brush up on Russian history first, but I will get to it this year. (It's not even that long a book!)
--Gentleman Jole & The Red Queen. I've been putting this one off because I know I'm going to love it and I know I can only read it for the first time once - but really, that's kind of a silly reason to not read it. Life is uncertain!
To learn:
--Some new massage techniques. This is rather vague, but it's going to happen regardless - I need to do some continuing education in preparation for my license renewal this year, so what I learn is probably going to depend on what opportunities I can find that fit into my schedule.
--To play "Same Old Lang Syne" on the piano. Simplistic? Maybe, but it'll take me a good amount of study to get there, so there's a fair amount of work implied here.
--More Swedish - specifically, more spoken Swedish. I'd like to get my spoken understanding up to where my written understanding currently is: enough that I can follow the gist of most conversations.
To do:
--Recruit some friends for karaoke. I've missed singing, and would like to do it more. Bonus if we can make it a semi-regular thing.
--Buy a house. Brian and I have been dip-toe-squealing about this for two years now, but this spring we're going to get pre-approved and start looking in earnest.
--Take guitar lessons at the Old Town School of Folk Music. I've been saying I want to do this since before we moved to Chicago. And I hear one of my friends is interested in doing the same, so I think I'll coordinate with her and see if we can't do it together.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-01 03:31 pm (UTC)I was trying to think if I could recommend a good book for brushing up on Russian history in preparation, but all the books I might recommend about Stalinism are approximately 900 pages long, which is a lot of book to read in preparation for reading another book. Simon Sebag Montefiore's Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar is well worth it, though, if it's a topic that interests you.
I really ought to read his new book about the history of the Romanovs. It's also a billion pages long and will probably swallow my life when I do.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-01 03:49 pm (UTC)I would hardly expect anything Russian to be less than 900 pages (and indeed was profoundly surprised at how short TM&M is, haha). I checked Audible just now; it looks like they have Sebag's book on the Romanovs and Young Stalin but not the one you recommend. I'm not sure if I can commit to sitting down and reading 900 pages with my life as busy as it is, but we'll see. They do have his Moscow Trilogy, which might not be a bad starting point, since he's clearly a scholar of the period.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-02 02:31 am (UTC)I haven't read Montefiore's Moscow Trilogy but it's probably amazing, so it may well be worth reading/listening to anyway, though.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-02 02:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-01-05 06:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-01-01 11:50 pm (UTC)Your goals are a great mix--good luck with them!
no subject
Date: 2018-01-02 02:57 pm (UTC)I was talking a bit in class yesterday about how I haven't traditionally made New Year's resolutions, usually dismissing them as a fluff thing that people do because they think they're supposed to, and get all excited about only to ditch partway through the year. But on consideration, I realized part of my resistance was rooted in fear of failure - if I don't set specific goals, I don't have to actually work toward making them happen, or worry about not meeting them. But it also means I don't get to be excited about the possibility of succeeding. So I tried to make my goals a good mix of things I'm likely to do anyway and things that'll take a bit of work to make happen.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-02 03:19 pm (UTC)I never did resolutions before two years ago, and one thing I've only just realized is that one good thing about doing them and keeping track of them--and seeing where I fall short or give up and where I succeed--is that I learn how to make better goals. The very process is helpful. And yeah, there's a feeling of accomplishment when you succeed!