2019 kind of snuck up on me, and i admittedly got a late start on figuring out my goals for this year, which is why it’s taken me some time to get this posted.

this is going to be the year i take care of myself. i have been slowly working to say no a little more the past few years, and it has improved my outlook so much. i would like to step that up a little this year and focus on my physical, financial, and emotional health.

here are the things i would like to accomplish in 2019:

complete the chattanooga 4 bridges half marathon. this one has been in the back of my mind for a few years, and i think 2019 might be the year i make it happen. there is a group of us planning to run this, which will keep me motivated during those long training months and will provide company for the trip there and back.

an alex-veena reunion. 2019 marks 10 years since alex-boy first came to india, so we are working on some kind of reunion trip. i have no other details at this time but look forward to sharing whatever trouble we manage to find.

actually make the recipes i’ve been bookmarking for years. i need to cook at home more, and i have probably hundreds of recipes that i have bookmarked online over the years and then never actually made. this is the year i start going through those recipes and learning how to make some new things. note: i’ve already made two of the things!

take 6 new-to-me fitness classes. i have a deep-seated fear of group fitness classes, for no reason other than i hate working out in front of other people. this is something i want to work on, so i am going to tag along with friends to some of their classes to see if i take to any of them. i am going to try barre and pilates and potentially hot yoga, and i am open to suggestions on the others.

join the board of a local nonprofit. another one that i’ve been thinking of for a few years and would like to finally make happen. i have one or two organizations in mind, and i’m keeping my fingers crossed this can work out.

go on three farther away hiking trips. i loved my monthly-ish hikes last year and want to explore more of my surrounding area. there are so many state parks across tennessee, arkansas, and mississippi, and i would like to take a weekend every few months and go for a hike that’s a little farther away. i know these will be difficult to schedule as we get into the year, so i am giving myself a goal of three in the hopes i can make it happen.

learn hand-lettering / calligraphy. i have always had good penmanship, but when people ask if i do any kind of hand-lettering or calligraphy i always have to say no. i wanted to do a skillshare course on this last year and never got around to it, so hopefully 2019 can be the year it happens for me.

re-read shantaram. i really like having one or two books each year that i re-read from earlier parts of my life, and i think 2019 is the year i tackle shantaram. i have avoided a second read simply because of its length, but i think it is time to see just how much my perspectives have changed in the last 12ish years. the first time i read it i underlined a lot of passages about discovering india for the first time, and i am curious to see which parts inspire me now.

visit a new-to-me national park. i have been wanting to do some more national park exploring, and i think my time off in august will be perfect for this. i have an idea on where i would like to go and hope i might be able to bring my parents along on another adventure.

get started on one house project. i have a lot of house projects i would like to get done in the next few years and hope to get started on a big one this year. i’ll update as it gets underway!

it is going to be a busy year, and i hope it will be a fulfilling one as well. i look forward to allowing myself a little more vulnerability this year and cutting myself some slack.

here’s to a great 2019 filled with laughter, joy, and hope.

xx