These, then, are my November goals:
Spiritual: The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life.
- Continue with daily prayers and gratitude, especially during this month of Thanksgiving -
- Continue to focus on blessings, joy, and abundance -
- Take time for meditation -
- Cultivate non-attachment -
- Attend
the monthly prayer gathering (being held at my late friend's home, by
her daughter, to commemorate the 1st anniversary of her death) -
- Call the monks at the temple to reserve a date in December for the almsgivings-
Environment: The goal is a clean, tidy, uncluttered house and a well-maintained garden.
House:
- Continue to tidy and clean the house - maintain the rooms already done and concentrate on the bedrooms.
Garden:
- Attend to the eucalyptus tree - get an arborist's opinion; trim or cut down the tree-
- Plant some new plants in the front garden for a little fall color -
- Attend to the eucalyptus tree - get an arborist's opinion; trim or cut down the tree-
- Plant some new plants in the front garden for a little fall color -
Daughter: The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her.
- Daily texts, phone calls, emails , and video chatting -
- Enjoy her next trip home (2 visits planned for November!) -
- Enjoy her next trip home (2 visits planned for November!) -
Family & Friends: The goal is to keep in touch with various family members and friends.
- A visit from aunt and cousin.
- Phone calls from family and friends
- Video chatting with a friend
- Will be seeing several members of the family and friends at the monthly prayer gathering
- Celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends
- Maybe go out to lunch with sister
Career: The goal is to continue to do work which I enjoy (for the most part) and which enables me to support myself.
- Continue to do my assignments on time -
- Work from the office each work day this month -
Finances: The goal is financial security.
-
Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose - Might buy two
more appliances this month (washer and dryer); it has been budgeted for
and money set aside.
- Meet with financial planner
Health & Well Being: The goal is good health. This will continue to be the focus, this month, as well.
- Attend the appointments with my various medical doctors - 2 scheduled in November.
- Continue to go for additional screening tests, as needed - One scheduled
- Continue to monitor blood pressure, sugar levels, and weight -
-
Continue to focus on a healthier diet (more vegetables!), drinking
enough water, exercising regularly, and getting sufficient sleep -
Time Management: The goal is having enough time to do all what I want to do!
- Organize myself so that the important things get accomplished on time -
Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time: The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Finish the two quilts in progress -
- Do a few more things on the Fall Joy List -
Good luck. Looking forward to seeing the two quilts when you finish them.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Live and Learn. The one quilt is almost finished - I just have to figure out how to finish tying it. I have promised myself that I'll get some quilt time in once the paperwork is all filed. :)
DeleteI think it is quite a bit harder to find balance between work and play when working 5 days a week. Looking back a big chunk of my time was very heavy on succeeding at work and being from that generation when the woman took care of the house, cooking etc. it didn't leave much time for "play".
ReplyDeleteWhat I love about the next generation which includes my daughter and daughter-in-law who both have high powered careers they schedule time for themselves. Both have household help. In my generation women always came last after taking care of everyone else.
Having said the above I think you are doing very well. Be sure and get that washer and dryer soon, perhaps when your daughter is home. You do not need to struggle with appliances that do not work very well. This is taking care of you! Love your daughter is coming home twice in November.
Hugs from afar.
Sandy, yes, it's hard to find balance between work and play, the "should do's" and the "want to do's".
DeleteWhen I first started doing this balanced life goals activity, I had a full plate - I was working full time, taking care of my semi-invalid mother, single-parenting my pre-teen daughter, doing all the housework and cooking, being active in my temple, etc. I could barely keep up! "Me-time" was late at night, after daughter was in bed; I'd stay up till 1:30 a.m., or so, reading, going on-line, etc., when I should be sleeping! Then, I'd wake up at 5:30 a.m. to make the morning tea, pack my daughter's lunch, take her to the school bus pick up point (at a nearby school; bus used to come by 6:20 a.m.), come home and serve my mother's breakfast and lunch and keep everything at hand for her, and go to work.
I felt overwhelmed and life was anything but balanced! That's when I started to identify the various areas of my life and try to find balance among them. I learned, too, that I had to cut back in some areas, such as "community". I might add "community" back, again, when I feel better and am able to participate more. :)
Hello Bless, I think that you are doing very well in all areas of your life and do thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you could explain one of them a little more fully. The goal of cultivating non attachment. Does that focus mainly on material things?
Thank you and if you do not wish to answer, of course I fully understand.
Best wishes. Pam in Texas.xx
Hello, Pam. It's lovely to hear from you, again.
DeleteI've had a couple of people asking me about cultivating non-attachment; I'm thinking I should do a post devoted to it, one of these days.
But, to answer your question, very briefly, no, it goes beyond material things and includes any thing (a prized possession), person (loved ones), place (home, for example), or emotion (anger, resentment, a grudge) we tend to cling to.
Why cultivate non-attachment? According to Buddhism, it is our attachment to things, places, people, etc. that causes the endless cycle of rebirth and all the pain and sorrow that ensues - pain at the loss of whatever it is that we cling to (and there will be loss because nothing is permanent/everything is subject to change).
Break the bonds of attachment and it is easier to let go and the loss of that item is less painful. Practice by letting go of things that are easier to give away - like the table cloth you bought, then, move on to things that have a more personal meaning - like the table cloth mother crocheted. The more you let go, the easier it is supposed to get. This is a different sort of decluttering. :)
I love reading your goals. Thanks for sharing us with them. I read your answer to the person above - very interesting. I do tend to hang onto things especially those people have made.
ReplyDeleteGlad your daughter will make it back twice this month. How lucky you are! I am going to visit my daughter on the 11th just for a week. I haven't seen her since July so it will be really nice.
Glad you enjoy reading my goals, Sharon. :) I, too, keep a lot of things that people have made.
DeleteI didn't realize you haven't seen your daughter since July! That's a long time between visits! Glad you are going to see her next week. Will she be spending Thanksgiving on her own, then, or will she come home? My daughter is coming down twice, this month because the 11th is my birthday and for Thanksgiving. :)
Bless I always feel a jolt of alarm when I read people I care about are meeting with a Financial Planner. The majority are mostly salesmen possibly with a CFP tag. It's critical to determine their personal payout percentage that transmit from your account to them and the percentage in Management Expense of the product being discussed.
ReplyDeleteI suggest you compare with the Vanguard equivalent product fees to understand fine details. Most of us divide our retirement savings in 1/3s. Index Equity/Corporate Bond/ International. Older version, age minus 100 with 10% to International.
No reason to believe me, it's ok, just don't get ripped off paying Edward Jones type 9% in fees un necessarily.
Hon, you are so sweet! Thank you, I really appreciate your concern. I never know how much to say on this blog since it is public, but, actually, I have been with this particular FP/company for awhile and I am not likely to switch. But the subject of fees is an interesting one and my tax preparer always clucks about it! :D In fact, when I called my FP to make the appointment, I brought up the fees and we are going to discuss that, as well. So, once again, thank you for being so caring and concerned.
Delete