Commentary by Heather Kestian
A new year is upon us. I suppose it is time for me to make a list and hope that the things I put on it get done within the next 365 days. As I sit and reflect on the past 365 days, I really have no clue whether I met my goals for 2013. It took a great deal of thought and planning to write down my summer goals for 2013 (and a couple of those goals are now goals for summer 2014).
Most of the time I do not commit to New Year’s resolutions, but I am willing to make an exception this year as I am feeling rather goal oriented for 2014.
First, I plan on giving more. Giving more time to the things I find value in – like school activities. I would love to get involved in my son’s school PTO or be more involved in his class. There are some great things going on in our schools and I think I need to be more involved. There is so much hope contained in the four walls of our schools.
Second, I need to run more. I am not going to put a marathon on my list for 2014. Let’s be honest, I do not have the kind of time to commit to training. I am a solid back-of-the-packer. My long runs to train for a marathon are more than four hours. It is the equivalent of a part-time job. I already have a full-time job and two kids. I cannot fathom a part-time job right now. I find some comfort in knowing my limitations and embracing them. However, I can run more and I intend to do so.
Third, I will try to talk my husband into painting the living room and dining room (of course I will help). I have hated the color since we looked at the house prior to buying it. On the tour of the house I said, “This color has to change.” I thought maybe I had grown attached to it over the years. Apparently, I confused attachment with complacency. Now that I have identified my error, I think I will try to convince my husband to change it.
As one year draws to a close and another is upon us, I appreciate the opportunity to plan ahead for what is next. Sometimes it is scary to do, but this year, I embrace potential.