I waffle every year about whether or not to make any resolutions, loving the idea of fresh goals for a fresh year but simultaneously feeling wary of adding anything to the already-full plates that are our lives these days. So I’m taking the middle road and just spending some time pondering the year ahead, getting my thoughts and hopes down on-screen and entering into 2018 with a spirit of intention. In the next 11.5 months, I/we will:
MAKE SOME BIG-ASS DECISIONS. Shane and I have had a handful of life-changing what-if’s hanging over our heads for quite some time now and are feeling like it’s time to set our wheels in motion and pick a direction. Should we put our house on the market and buckle down on our search for something quieter and a little more spacious? Should we move forward with early-enrolling Juliette in kindergarten this year (rather than keeping her in preschool for another year)? Are we going to try (like, really try) for another baby? Ho-ly Mo-ses, these are big things! And I’m completely change-phobic, prone to bouts of extreme crankiness and dramatic weeping in periods of uncertainty. But we know we can’t let fear or comfort keep us from taking the road un-traveled – an amazing house or a wonderful kindergarten teacher or a joyous addition to our family might lie just up ahead, if we lean into the uncertainty. And hey, maybe none of those things come to fruition this year, which is fine, but when December rolls around I want to rest in the peace of knowing that our pursuits (or lack thereof, if that’s where we land) were meditated upon and deliberate.
And now that I’ve gotten the heavy-duty stuff out of the way and gulped down another cup of my Yogi Stress Relief tea, let’s talk about something fun and entirely manageable. Like READING! I mentioned that 2017 wasn’t my finest literary year and I’m eager to delve back into books. I want to spend more early evening-times reaching for my Kindle rather than my laptop or phone. I want to cut out the mindless Facebook scrolling and focus on words and stories that provoke and inspire and teach.
After a wet, house-bound few days I’m finding myself dreaming of sparkling lakes and sun-dappled forests – let’s make this a year for some serious Schnell family CAMPING. We’ve spent a fair number of nights in our tent over the previous couple of years, but I’m hoping to get out even more in 2018. Shane, Juliette and I live most fully into my dream for our family when we’re hiking and paddle-boarding and eating around a campfire and sleeping under the stars. So we’re gonna make it happen – Fort Flagler, Orcas Island, Wynoochee Lake, PNW TBD, here we come! I can’t wait.
When I asked Juliette if she had any hopes for the year ahead, anything she wanted to do or learn, she quickly replied that she wants to learn how read, learn how to be an architect like Mom, and learn how to be an engineer like Dad – that girl’s got mad ambition! In addition to being my partner in decision-making and camp-setting, Shane set a couple of personal fitness and reading goals. I jotted each of our lists down on slips of paper and tucked them into our Christmas stockings, to be pulled out at the end of the year for a fun (shame-free, low-pressure) check-in.
So here’s to a year of intentionality, making hard choices and then finding restoration with a good book, a well-strung hammock, and a lake view.
