Five Minute Friday - My First!

I am participating in Five Minute Friday for the first time today.  It seemed like a good way of getting some inspiration to write on this blog.  So, here goes!  The prompt is

Join...

I have been struggling with something over the past three or four years.  It has something to do with having my daughter and all of her health problems.  It has something to do with moving to Northern California for a job after spending a decade in Southern California.  It has something to do with the strange schedule I am forced to keep with my job.  But, it has a lot to do with me.  What is this something?  A lack of friends - a lack of community.  I have done many things that I you are supposed to - joined a mother's club, playgroup, frequented the library story time, etc.  But, it just hasn't worked out that I have really "joined" a group or made close friends.  And it has been hard.  Really hard.

So, I've made a commitment.  I have told myself I'm really going to work at building relationships at work, in my mother's club, etc. this semester.  I need that community.  I have a great community online, but I don't have such a strong one in person.  I need to find a group to "join" and make the effort to build that group into  a community I am part of.  The workshop I did during the summer gave me a start.  That group is meeting on  a regular basis now.

STOP...

Wow, that went by really fast.  Kind of fun...

40 While I'm 44...

I so did not look like that on my 44th birthday...just to let you know!

But, I did celebrate my 44th birthday a couple of weeks ago.  With my 3 year old daughter and my sister at a local pizza place.  It was totally uneventful, as a 44th birthday should be, I guess.  But, as I've been thinking about using that milestone as a starting point for a "new year" so-to-speak - mostly because I really have wasted the first half of this year as far as bettering myself, my life or my mood -  I've been thinking about these lists that people make.  Most of them have been in their 20s, but a few in their 30s.  Some give themselves a number of years while others just give themselves that year.  It is easier to accomplish 20-some things in a year than 44 things, but I figure I can pick some easy to accomplish ones and take advantage of them and I'm only doing 40 instead of a full 44 things.  So, here it is.  My 40 While I'm 44 list (in no particular order at all):

1.  Start a semester of teaching completely prepped out for the semester to give myself confidence and flexibility (as strange as that may sound).

2.  Get my garage completely cleaned out and organized.

3.  Decorate my house for at least three major holidays (before the actual holiday).

4.  Do a 5K RUN (not walking it...I mean, to survive, I could walk part of it, but I really want to be able to run one this year).

5.  Host a dinner party or open house for adults at my home (the adults part is because my students and/or TAs do not count for this).

6.  Take a yoga class for at least a month to see if it helps my back (keep taking it if it does).

7.  Move to a one story house with a nicer yard.

8.  Pay off the majority of my debt (school loans and house mortgage don't count).

9.  Make a profit on my newsletter business for at least three months of the year and break even the rest starting in October (so for nine months of the year).

10. Keep track of EVERY cent spent starting Sept. 1 (so its 10 months, not 12 months).

11.  Go on at least one weekend trip for FUN (not work) on average every quarter (so 4 trips in the next 12 months).

12.  Go on at least one one week trip for FUN (5-7 days).

13.  Join at least three new groups (social, networking, class, whatever) in the next year.

14.  Declutter my house ruthlessly.

15.  Do a Girls' Weekend away with wine, spa or beach, in a nice hotel with at least two or three friends.

16.  Go to a play.

17.  Go to a concert.

18.  Do something activist (find a cause and go out and do something about that cause).

19.  Write on this blog at least four times a week for the WHOLE YEAR (this is going to be a big one to actually do).

20.  See a counselor/psychologist for my stress/worry about the Bean's health, my mom's health - heck, just my life in general.

21.  Do a cleanse.

22.  Go to a food festival.

23.  Spend at least 30 days (10% of the year) at least partially at a beach.

24.  Start and maintain a garden of edible food(s).

25.  Try at least 12 new foods (average one a month).  Can be an actual food or a dish I've never had.

26.  Apply for a PT job at the local CC.

27.  Go to a live, professional sporting event.

28.  Try at least 50 new recipes (average one per week - I already did one last week, so I'm on track for 50).

29.  Go to a Spring Training game or two.

30.  Do a DIY home project (pinterest, perhaps?).

31.  Read a book every two weeks on average - so 26 books over the next year.

32.  Find a church to attend.

33.  Do a "tour" of all (a lot of) the local touristy spots!  That's a lot of spots - I need to plan this out.

34.  Keep track of, plan for and send out cards/gifts for major events in friends' and family's lives - birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, etc.  May have to do some backtracking and sending of gifts I never sent!

35.  Find a volunteer activity I can do consistently.

36.  Give up TV for at least three months (see how it goes - Netflix is allowed, as is internet streaming of shows).

37.  Give up all TV viewing (including Netflix, etc.) for at least a week.

38.  Do at least one outdoor activity every month for 12 months.  Can't just be "walking".

39.  Do something "green" every month for the remainder of the year (so 11 months instead of 12).

40.  Organize my pictures and start scrapbooking on a regular basis.

Not too much that shouldn't be doable, but I will definitely have to keep on top of it.  I will try to do regular updates of my progress on the items for anyone following along.  Wish me luck!