Steph Abbott Says

Looking back, I feel as if I spent the past year inactive, over-stimulated, depressed, tired and repressed. I’m not going to wallow in the waste gone by. I am going to pick myself up, dust myself off, and take the first step towards becoming more active yet less stimulated. I’ll turn that frown upside down. I’ll rest and relax.

Five Goals for January

1. Exercise each day. Unroll that never-used-but-cool yoga mat and try out that yoga app. Go to the gym and get on the elliptical machine. Don’t just stare at that stair-stepping contraption.
2. Drink tea, instead of coffee, most days. Don’t worry whether it’s herbal or not. Your nerve endings start to fray when you even drive near a coffee shop.
3. Write a letter to a friend each week. Make it personal, but don’t freak them out. Use a pen and paper. (Yes, I realize there are only four weeks in the month which translates to only four letters to four friends. So? That still amounts to more letters than I’ve written to anyone in the past four years.) Better buy some stamps.
4. Live each day with love for yourself and your family. Listen to them. Praise their accomplishments. Provide for them. Love them. Teach them how to help with the laundry. Get away from them when you need to.
5. Blog each day. Tap out a statement. Doodle a day. Don’t over think it. Get it done and post it.

Five Goals for 2011

1. Drop two-three dress sizes. Do it naturally, using common sense, good eating habits and regular exercise.
2. Give up coffee—except for special occasions. None of the following qualifies as a special occasion: visiting a new town; finding a new coffee shop; dropping by the bookstore.
3. Embrace friendships. Put the pole down, walk over and say hello. Make it personal, but don’t freak them out. The weather can be more than nice, but they don’t want to hear about the blizzard that happened in your living room last night.
4. Love life to its fullest.  Open your heart and gather up all that fills it—joy, pain, dirt, family, work, and laundry.
5. Blog often. Tap out a statement. Doodle a day. Don’t over think it. Get it done and post it.

Finally, come back and visit often. See if my goals are still visible. Tell me when I stray.