So - the check-in. I looked back over the year's posts and I can definitely see progress. It's weird - I've gotten some very good habits ingrained, but they aren't exactly super-good habits. For instance, I walk everyday, but I'm trying for a half-hour of a "walking for exercise" pace instead of counting steps. Yesterday, my pedometer told me that I broke ten thousand steps for the first time in probably months and I felt just fine about that. Sure, I'd like to do more, but I think it's more important that movement for health is becoming a habit, even if my usual step count is way under what my goal was back in January.
Eating better - that's a plus. Thanksgiving was surely a feast day, but again - looking at the big picture here, my overall habits are much, much better than they were a year ago. Lots more plain, fresh water on a regular basis, too. Taken together, these habits have caused my weight to . . . well, stabilize. I really haven't lost weight this year, but I also haven't gained a bit. I think I'm about four pounds lighter than I was at the start of the year. Yet I don't see that as a failure, either. I'm not overweight and my doctor is quite happy with the results of all my blood work and routine tests. I just don't fit the profile of a Victoria's Secret Angel - meaning that when I turn sideways, you can still see me and tell I'm of the female persuasion. And that I can live with.
House - well, here's the real news. My house is certainly "lived in" - I'll never have a house that makes Martha Stewart clutch her pearls and say, "You simply must tell me your secrets!" But it's a happy home. It's tidier on a regular basis than it's ever been (FlyLady, baby. FlyLady. You really can do anything for 15 minutes and those 15 minutes add up over the months) and it's calmer as a result.
Case in point - last year, my holiday season was marked by stress, crying jags, and frustration that was entirely self-inflicted. Yesterday, for the first time ever, I spent part of Black Friday calmly un-decorating from Thanksgiving. Then, with FryDaddy's help (he understands the truth in the saying "if Mockingbird ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"), we brought down all the Christmas boxes. I worked for 15 minutes on getting some of the holiday stuff out and I'll do that again and again until everything is done. And I'm willing to bet I'll be more serene and peaceful and happy than I was last year - which is really what it's all about.
Also - I'm taking inspiration from the Facebook Nation who posted all through November their "30 Days of Gratitude." Last year, my holidays weren't that great because I insisted on perfection. This year, I'm trying something new. In fact, I'm trying a lot of new! Over the last month or so, I've really tried to make an effort to try some new things - food, activities, etc. - so yesterday I started my "30 Days of New" by making time to go see the lighting of the town Christmas tree, which was small-town perfect, complete with live music and horse-drawn carriages.
We'll see how it goes, but I'm betting it goes all the way to eleven!
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