I am FOUR DOZEN: intentions and reflections

 What a fun birthday!!

My last dog walk as a 47-year-old

I made myself the most ridiculous Snickers cheesecake and ate it for breakfast

Sunglasses from the children (to replace one that one of them borrowed and accidentally ran over)

Ben and I had lunch together and went shopping in the cutest little town

I had a fun afternoon collecting bday freebies and discounts

And we ended the night with a toast

Yay 48! I am looking at four dozen roses as I write this and thinking about some intentions for this year. I just read Big Time, and you absolutely should, too, because it made me feel optimistic about the amount of time I have to spend and excited about all the ways I could spend it.

Some things I want to do this year:

1. Say YES more often, especially when the thing sounds a little scary. (Look for me in a crowded Chicago elevator and on a dinner cruise with a bunch of teen/tween girls next month, for example)

2. Practice radical kindness-- like as a default frame. (Spoiler: this is not my current default frame in any area). How nice would it be to take care of myself from this frame? (Like in a Foucauldian sense of rhetoric that cares for the self, not, like, a lot of bubble baths). Seriously, though. Think about running and lifting weights and eating foods to fuel your body from a place of radical kindness to yourself-- how great is that frame? And then when you apply it to interactions with others? I mean.

3. Run by 7:30 most* mornings. I feel better when I exercise at the start of the day even at the expense of resting, so I want to spend this whole year prioritizing that feeling. What is "most" though? NOT SURE. I am also really into the don't-break-the-chain mentality and am afraid that if I have a few late mornings, I will abandon the whole project. One thing I have going for me is that I HATE to be hot, so early mornings are going to be my best bet this summer, and in the fall/winter, I will basically have no choice.

4. Notice when I catch myself complaining and figure out how to make the situation better. While time is plentiful, it is also precious, and I want to spend this year developing a problem solving framework as opposed to more of an bitch-and-moan framework. I really hate our current job situation with Ben in an entirely different state most of the week.  As we seek solutions, I can't just write off these years or lose them to a litany of complaints. So, I am going to notice what bothers me and fix it, in a very Rosie the Riveter, yes-I-can sort of way,.

Highlights from 47:

Discovered these most amazing eye patches that have transformed my life for the better

Saw fam in Madison

Celebrated a preschool grad

Went to Charleston with Dorothy

Lots of pool days

Grew out those fucking bangs

Sent Minnie off to kindergarten!!

Marigold Fest!

Fam pics!

Coffee Fridays with Dorothy and Cooper

Bradley Homecoming

One more visit to my mom's office before she retired

Ran our first 5K

Successfully repped our favorite side dishes

 Ran another 5K

Rang in 2026 on our favorite beach

Volunteered every week in kindergarten

Saw lots of dive meets

Jack's senior prom!