2025 Plans
Jan. 2nd, 2025 04:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spryngI'm not really one for resolutions. Making plans for a whole year seems to invite the universe's attention, and not in a good way.
But I will make some goals for January that I can track and stick to.
We got a piano (really, an electric keyboard, but that seems to be what pianos are now) on Monday. I'd done the research and found the only acceptable keyboard under $500 (oof) and it was on sale after Christmas. Cabin Girl had circled one of the really cheap ones from Target when they were looking through the toy catalogue and I'd talked to her then about whether she was serious. Then we went to Minnesota and my SIL has a real piano; both her cousins can play and CG kind of noodled on it. When we came home, she expressed sadness that she hadn't gotten the piano she asked for, soooo
And I've been wanting a piano for a good long while; I've always wanted to pick up where I left off as a kid. But I could never guarantee it wouldn't sit unused, collecting dust if we got one; now that CG is interested, there's two of us. Even Toddler has been sitting on the bench, gently pressing keys.
So that's plan number one: daily piano practice. I've already found troves of public domain music online, and there's the piano reddit with advice on how to get started. There's even a music store that does lessons within walking distance; I put CG's name on the waitlist, but I figure, I'll be going with her and hopefully reabsorbing some of those early lessons...
Plan number two is a return to basics: running more often. Right now I have it written down as 3 times a week; ideal would be every day, but I highly doubt I would be able to stick with that long term. And three times a week is an improvement on my current once a week, so it should be an easier start. My biggest challenge is getting over my reluctance to run after sunrise, ie when people can see me and also when it starts getting hot.
Basically, I don't like being uncomfortable, lol. But if I'm ever going to get faster/run further, I have to run during the day. I don't want running and writing to compete for the same hour of time and I honestly need both to be happy and healthy.
There's a 7.2k race coming up on February 1st that I almost managed two years ago and then didn't have a chance to run last year because, well, I'd had surgery that same week. I've already signed up for it and even ran 7.2k for my New Year's Day sunrise run. So I know I can do it! Now I just want to do it a little faster. And then if that goes well, I'll see about signing up for that 10k in March I missed last year.
And plan number three is just a continuation of what I started in August: reading every day, preferably when I wake up. I read 13 books that way when I'd been struggling to get through even one a month. It feels good to read again, and the kids have definitely noticed the rotation of books. CG has been reading like a beast, too, and there's nothing more magical than cuddling up on the couch together with our separate books, reading silently.
You'll notice there's no plan for writing; I'm hesitant to commit to something when I'm struggling to write at all right now. Hopefully come February I'll be through this little writer's block and I can add/amend my plans to include a writing one. For now, I'm just going to let my morning time be my writing time and see where that goes.
But I will make some goals for January that I can track and stick to.
We got a piano (really, an electric keyboard, but that seems to be what pianos are now) on Monday. I'd done the research and found the only acceptable keyboard under $500 (oof) and it was on sale after Christmas. Cabin Girl had circled one of the really cheap ones from Target when they were looking through the toy catalogue and I'd talked to her then about whether she was serious. Then we went to Minnesota and my SIL has a real piano; both her cousins can play and CG kind of noodled on it. When we came home, she expressed sadness that she hadn't gotten the piano she asked for, soooo
And I've been wanting a piano for a good long while; I've always wanted to pick up where I left off as a kid. But I could never guarantee it wouldn't sit unused, collecting dust if we got one; now that CG is interested, there's two of us. Even Toddler has been sitting on the bench, gently pressing keys.
So that's plan number one: daily piano practice. I've already found troves of public domain music online, and there's the piano reddit with advice on how to get started. There's even a music store that does lessons within walking distance; I put CG's name on the waitlist, but I figure, I'll be going with her and hopefully reabsorbing some of those early lessons...
Plan number two is a return to basics: running more often. Right now I have it written down as 3 times a week; ideal would be every day, but I highly doubt I would be able to stick with that long term. And three times a week is an improvement on my current once a week, so it should be an easier start. My biggest challenge is getting over my reluctance to run after sunrise, ie when people can see me and also when it starts getting hot.
Basically, I don't like being uncomfortable, lol. But if I'm ever going to get faster/run further, I have to run during the day. I don't want running and writing to compete for the same hour of time and I honestly need both to be happy and healthy.
There's a 7.2k race coming up on February 1st that I almost managed two years ago and then didn't have a chance to run last year because, well, I'd had surgery that same week. I've already signed up for it and even ran 7.2k for my New Year's Day sunrise run. So I know I can do it! Now I just want to do it a little faster. And then if that goes well, I'll see about signing up for that 10k in March I missed last year.
And plan number three is just a continuation of what I started in August: reading every day, preferably when I wake up. I read 13 books that way when I'd been struggling to get through even one a month. It feels good to read again, and the kids have definitely noticed the rotation of books. CG has been reading like a beast, too, and there's nothing more magical than cuddling up on the couch together with our separate books, reading silently.
You'll notice there's no plan for writing; I'm hesitant to commit to something when I'm struggling to write at all right now. Hopefully come February I'll be through this little writer's block and I can add/amend my plans to include a writing one. For now, I'm just going to let my morning time be my writing time and see where that goes.
