New Year Plan

I'm not good at making or keeping resolutions. (well, more the keeping part). So I thought I'd think a bit about what I'm thankful/grateful for and what I'd like to do better in the future.

I'm Thankful/Grateful and Happy:
-that we have my Mom with us and she seems to be getting better. Her memory and speech functions are improving steadily and she is in good spirits. I love my Mom and I'm so happy that she is fighting this latest battle bravely.
-for my family. I love my sister and brothers and in-laws and all of their many many many kids (I have 9 nieces and nephews).
-for my creativity. I rarely am bored as I'm constantly making something or planning something to make. Some people in my life find this humorous but they almost always enjoy the results of this creativity.
-for my job. This one isn't always easy to remember, as my job isn't very exciting nor does it make me a rich woman, but it is a steady income and I'm good at my work. A sub-point here is that I'm happy for my coworkers. I have been pleasantly surprised over the last year to realize that I am friends with many of my coworkers and am on very good terms with the rest of them.
-for the country I live in. It's not perfect and everyone has their own view on how it should run, but by and large we are a peaceable sort and as a whole we have a concern for the world at large and try to do good in it.
-for the Boy. Without being sappy or sentimental. I'm thankful for the way he makes me laugh and the way I can make him laugh. For the ridiculous arguments we have on a nearly daily basis. A boy who isn't scared to argue with me is a valuable thing indeed.
-for getting through the past year without serious illness or injury (that is not to say with no illness or injury... There was the lung infection, scalding my hand, mono, the Death Flu of 08...)
-for my eye sight!!! I almost forgot this one! My eye surgery was a success and the recovery was relatively short. (I was telling my friend Sheri today that I sometimes forget that I used to wear glasses!)

In the future (starting this year) I'd like to do better at:
-exercising and sticking with it.
-eating healthier/not eating junk.
-finishing things I start. Sure I'm creative but my brain has a tendency to skip from project to project and not finish things.
-keeping in touch with people I care about. This includes people I have lost touch with from my past and who I would love to reconnect with.
-not letting frustration get the best of me. I don't deal well with frustration, especially when the ability to change or correct the situation is out of my control. I need to breathe, be calm and just relax.
-getting out of my apartment more. I'm a hermit. There, I've said it. I have my yarn and fabric and computer and TV and Wii and... I need to get out more... which leads me to
-doing things that scare me. I'm shy (people who know me from situations where I was comfortable don't believe this but it's true). I let myself talk myself out of going into situations where I won't know anyone or where I'll be out of my comfort zone.
-being more presentable. I tend to wear the same things over and over and don't really care that much about what it looks like. Comfort is key. I also have a tendency to not bother with getting hair cuts until the situation is dire. I would like to at least appear like I have access to a brush and know the name of the stylist who cut my hair.
-not buying more yarn just because a project popped into my head. I do not want to buy any yarn until I reduce the current size of the stash by 1/3. Reducing can take the form of using it or selling/gifting it. (This will necessitate cataloguing the yarn, which I started to do before my spreadsheet disappeared. argh)
-keeping up with my blog
-following up on comments from kind readers
-remembering to be happy for all the items (and more) in the first list.

I think that's a good start for now...
Happy New Year everyone.