Starting on the Second Half of the Year!

 

Passionfruit Flower

The first half of the year is behind us and it feels to me like it went by in a blink of an eye!  I spent a little time, this morning, reviewing the previous six months.  I started out the new year with the aspiration of focusing on my physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing and while a lot was accomplished towards that goal, I think a lot can still be done!  There's plenty of room for improvement, I think.  It's a good thing that I have six more months left in the year to work towards that!

On the 1st of July, I made milkrice for brunch as is my usual custom to celebrate the start of a new month. We had it with seeni sambol (a spicy onion relish).  

Gardener friend M was here to tend to the garden in the early afternoon.  We chatted a bit and I served him some of the chocolate chip cookies that my daughter had baked on Monday.  

Chocolate Chip Cookies

We also decided that it was time to pick two of the Berkeley Tie Dye tomatoes because they have a tendency to split when they ripen.  They are just turning color, as you can see, but, the bigger one is already beginning to split near the stem end:

Berkeley Tie Dye Tomatoes

They do look a bit like they've been tie dyed, don't they?  Neither daughter nor I like to eat raw tomatoes; instead, we add them to various dishes when we cook them.  Or, I make a tomato curry.

In the evening, I picked up friend R and we went to the viewing of one of our friends who passed away after a two year battle with cancer.  Afterwards, I dropped friend R off at her apartment and came home.  Daughter and I had rice, ground beef keema curry, dhal, and green beans for dinner:

Wednesday Dinner

On the 1st of July, I was grateful for:

- Monthly rituals
- M's help with the garden
- Homegrown tomatoes
- Friends
- Being able to give friend R a ride to the viewing and back

Joyful activities included spending time in the garden, picking homegrown tomatoes, chatting with friend R in the car on our way to the funeral home and back, and enjoying a chocolate chip cookie.

Plans for Thursday include:

- Attending my friend's funeral
- Some housework
- Maybe some baking

How was your first day of July?  

Thriving in December

Homemade Holiday Gifts
Blueberry Jam with Home Grown Blueberries
Tea Towels Hand Stamped with Blueberry Design
using a stamp that daughter designed and carved

My goal in 2025 was to thrive each month.  To that end, here's my review of December, which, as many of you know, has had many ups and downs: 

Spiritual:

The highlight in the spiritual aspects of my life was the annual almsgiving.  I had booked the date with the Temple monks in November.  In December, I confirmed the date with them and invited family and friends to participate.  Daughter and I planned the menu and we did a couple of trips to the Sri Lankan grocery store to buy the items I wanted to offer at the almsgiving.  Then, since my daughter didn't want me to over-tire myself with the preparations closer to the date, I cooked what I could ahead of time and froze them.  But, as always, there was plenty to do on the day before and the morning of the almsgiving which took place on December 20.  I consider the spiritual part of my life to have thrived in December.

Daughter:

In December, daughter and I spent a lot of time together.  Daughter accompanied me when I went to various medical appointments, spoiled me with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies when I expressed a wish for cookies and several holiday gifts.  We spent some time working on crafts together, she helped me with various projects, and encouraged me.  We supported and comforted each other through some difficult days, just before and after our much loved Dancer had to be euthanized. We had some long, difficult conversations, moments of laughter, some tears, and lots and lots of hugs.  I'm not sure if it is even possible, as w've always been quite close, but, I'd say we've grown even closer, this month.

 

I can honestly say that my relationship with my daughter thrived in December and it continues to thrive.

Health & Well Being:

In December, I had an appointment with my primary care physician (who took me off two medications based on lab test results and several pressure readings; except that didn't quite work out, as we found out, later!), an appointment with the dental hygienist (which completed that round of deep cleaning), an appointment with the ophthalmologist (who pulled out a cat hair from my eye, again!), took my flu vaccine, and did some lab tests prior to an upcoming doctor's appointment (scheduled for the first full week in January).  I started out the month in relatively good health, but, I've had some blood pressure issues after being taken off one medication, but, that is being addressed and monitored.

I thought my health was starting to thrive, but, maybe not.  This will be my focus in 2026.

Family, Friends, & Community:

Social interactions in December included exchanging phone calls, texts, emails, and holiday greetings.  There were more in-person interactions, too, including an almsgiving to the community of monks, a couple of visits with friend R, visiting cousin V twice, celebrating Christmas at the home of our friends, and daughter's friends coming over for a holiday pancake breakfast.  

I'd say that I thrived where family, friends, and community were concerned in December.

Finances:

I was able to keep my finances maintained in December.  I've lived well within my retirement income and kept to my budget, over all.  I think I am managing well where finances are concerned.  

Time Management:

Time management continues to be a work in progress!  I start out thinking I've plenty of time until, suddenly, I don't have enough time!  This needs to change!  However, the important things got done on time and I will take that as a success.  

I think I coped more than I thrived!   

Leisure/Hobbies/Crafting:

December leisure/hobbies/crafting activities included card making, gift making, gardening, and knitting.  I made a batch of blueberry jam to give as holiday gifts and daughter and I hand stamped a design of blueberries and leaves on a set of kitchen towels with fabric paints and stamps that my daughter created.  I believe that I thrived in this area of my life.

House:

In December, the house was tidied and cleaned as we prepared for the almsgiving, the holidays, and daughter's friends getting together.   We put up the Christmas tree, but, it remained mostly undecorated (except for the lights) and I barely decorated the house as daughter didn't feel like decorating (the up side to that is undecorating won't take long!)  

In December, I paid for another year of home insurance and earthquake insurance.  I am grateful for having my home.

Garden:

The garden continued to thrive in December.  Daughter's raised beds are doing very well and we've been picking greens from it for salads and I picked tangerines from the garden for the almsgiving.  

December started out as a good month.  I was looking forward to the almsgiving, we were both looking forward to the holidays, and daughter was looking forward to celebrating with her friends.  And then, on the 10th of December, our much loved Dancer kitty had to be euthanized.  He was 17+ years old and going into kidney failure.  We had been anticipating it, but, still, it was a difficult decision and daughter, especially, felt it.  He was her kitty even though he stayed with me while she was in Berkeley.  His death dimmed some of the joy and anticipation of this time of the year as we mourned him.  Then, I experienced health issues (daughter calls is a health scare) with spiking blood pressure and that has further heightened our awareness of various aspects of our lives.

My goal in 2025 was to thrive.  Looking back, I think I managed to mostly thrive during the year.  Moving forward, I think I need to scale back and focus on certain aspects of my life and focus mostly on my health and wellbeing.  I am not quite sure how I will keep track of that on the blog due to privacy concerns, but, I might be able to manage a brief monthly review.

Thank you for reading these monthly reviews of my attempts to lead a more balanced life and to thrive.  I have appreciated your thoughtful comments on my monthly posts.

I'm wishing you all the best in all the various areas of importance in your lives in 2026.

Dancer:  The Last Photo; 12/10/25

New Year's Day 2026

Milk Boiling Over

At midnight, daughter and I toasted the New Year with glasses of sparkling apple juice, and then, I lit the stove for the first time for the New Year and boiled a pan of milk until it boiled over, symbolizing abundance in the New Year.  Afterwards, I made milkrice which daughter and I both enjoyed.  I had the leftover milkrice for my brunch, on New Year's Day.

It rained on New Year's Eve and it rained most of the morning on New Year's Day.  The rain ceased by afternoon, although it remained mostly cloudy and overcast.  

I phoned and texted family members and close friends to wish them for the New Year, watched videos online, and knitted. I made a paste with baking soda and water and spread it on the stove top and under the burner plates to soften the burned milk and daughter scrubbed the stove top for me.  Later, she did a load of laundry for me.  Ever since the doctor told me to relax and take it easy, daughter has not been letting me do much work!  In fact, she even cancelled plans to go out with friends this afternoon, to stay at home with me, in case I needed her (my pressure was slightly elevated when I checked it at noon).  

I had leftover pot roast for my dinner.  Daugher had a pot roast sandwich and one of the tamales her friend A had made and sent through another friend.  We shared a sliced apple, later.

On New Year's Day 2026, I was grateful for:

- Being able to celebrate New Year's Day with my daughter
- A new beginning
- Phone calls and texts with my family and friends
- Rain to water the garden
- Daughter being so caring and attentive

Joyful activities included celebrating the New Year, chatting on the phone with my sister and Aunt C, and spending time with my daugher.

My New Year's Resolution/GoalAspiration, this year, is Wellbeing.  I am resolved to do what I need to do to improve and ensure my physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.  What that entails and how I'd go about implementing it will have to be figured out in the days to come.  But, I have some ideas and the first step is to get my blood pressure stabilized.

How was your New Year's Day?  Do you make New Year's Resolutions or Goals or Aspiration?

Happy New Year: 2025

New Year's Breakfast Compliments of Friend S

Happy New Year, everyone.  May your new year be abundantly blessed!

Boiling Milk Until it Overflows = Abundance

As the New Year was rung in, I lit the stove for the first time in the new year and boiled a pot of milk until it overflowed to signify abundance.  There is rice boiling in the pot on the back burner to make milkrice.

This morning, my Sri Lankan friend S and her husband brought over the platter of milkrice and other Sri Lankan New Year treats.  They didn't stay long because they were on their way to deliver a platter of food to friend R, as well, before S had to go to work.  But, I was able to give them their Christmas/New Year's gift as well as the gift my daughter made for their daughter.  

In the afternoon, I watered the front garden and portions of the back garden.  I picked three more pineapple guavas (feijoa) and some lemons.

New Year's Resolutions/Goals/Aspirations:

Once again, instead of resolutions, I am going to keep to the goals and aspirations I've had for the past couple of years which are:

Better Health:  I aspire to attain better health by doing the various things I know I need to do, which are:
- attend medical appointments
- do the various tests my medical team wants me to
- continue to take my prescribed medications
- attain a healthier weight
- maintain my blood sugar levels
- increase my stamina and strength through exercising more  

Better Time Management:  I aspire to manage my time better, by being mindful of how I spend my time, prioritizing what needs to be done, and procrastinating less. 

Being More Organized:  I aspire to being more organized in my daily life, with established routines and a tidy house.

Living a Well Balanced Life:  I aspire to live a balanced life, by paying attention to all the different areas of my life.

Word of the Year

My 2024 Word of the Year was Promptly.  I chose this word because I tend to procrastinate too much and that, in turn, impacts many other aspects of my life!  I am afraid that I wasn't as prompt as I had hoped to be and still procrastinated quite a bit.  

However, it's a new year and a new beginning.  So, I will choose a new word of the year: THRIVE

Today, on the first day of the new year, I am grateful for:

- A new year and a new beginning
- Friends bringing New Year treats
- Water for the garden
- Fresh fruit from the garden
- A sunny and warm day

Today's joyful activity was celebrating the New Year.

Plans for tomorrow include doing some sewing, cooking, tidying, and cleaning.  

How was your New Year's Day?  What are your plans for tomorrow?

Oranges and Lemons

Resuming Regular Programming

Aloe Flower Stalk

Some of the aloe flower stalks are starting to separate into individual buds.  

Well, the first week in the New Year was filled with holiday activities, religious events, and socializing!  Having my daughter home made the first week of the year especially joyful.  

Now, the second week of the new year has begun, my daughter has returned to her own apartment, and it is time to put away the holiday decorations, return the house to its regular state of messiness some semblance of order, and resume normal life!  My aim is to do so while still retaining that joy I felt during the holidays, without experiencing any post holiday let down.  

This post is a bit of a catch all post.

New Year's Resolutions/Goals/Aspirations:

I didn't make any new resolutions/goals/aspirations this year; instead, I am going to continue with the 2023 aspirations which are:

Better Health:  I aspire to attain better health by doing the various things I know I need to do to attain a healthier weight, maintain my blood sugar levels, and increase my stamina and strength.  

Better Time Management:  I aspire to manage my time better, by being mindful of how I spend my time, prioritizing what needs to be done, and procrastinating less. 

Being More Organized:  I aspire to being more organized in my daily life, with established routines and a tidy house.

Living a Well Balanced Life:  I aspire to live a balanced life, by paying attention to all the different areas of my life.

I will continue to implement my New Year's aspirations by incorporating them into my Monthly Balanced Life Goals.

Word of the Year

My 2023 Word of the Year was Journey.  Life was a journey that I wanted to enjoy to the fullest, traveling in the company of hope and joy and it was to be a journey of discovery and personal growth.  I think I did okay with my journey, although there were a few bumps along the way and I stumbled from time to time.

My 2024 Word of the Year is Promptly.  I chose this word because I tend to procrastinate too much and that, in turn, impacts many other aspects of my life!  It ties into my aspirations of better time management (do things promptly), better health (go on those walks, promptly), being more organized (put stuff away promptly, without letting piles build up), and living a well balanced life (attending to things in a prompt manner will, hopefully, enable me to be more productive and lead to a feeling of being less overwhelmed and more in control of my life)

Towards that end (being more productive and organized), my daughter gifted me a planner as a New Year's gift.  I used to have a daily planner when I was working (we were all issued our choice of daily or weekly planner by the office), but, stopped having one after I retired.  I kept To Do lists, but, I thought having a planner might work better, so my daughter gifted me a weekly planner, similar to what she uses.  I am hoping that it will help me be more productive!

I had planned to do three things today - Laundry, including all the holiday table linen, etc., pay the gas bill, and take out the trash cans to be collected tomorrow.  I did two loads of laundry and hand washed the embroidered table cloth used to cover the small table which held the tray of food offerings, and the crocheted table cover and doilies.  I still need to wash the crocheted Christmas blanket and the Santa cushion covers - that's for tomorrow.  I paid the gas bill, promptly ($158.44; the next bill is projected to be $237), and I took the trash cans out.  

In addition, I did a few other things that I hadn't listed in the planner, but, which I do on a more or less regular basis - gave Dancer his medications, took my own medications, did the dishes, scrubbed the kitchen sink, cleaned up the mess Dancer made (he showed his displeasure about daughter being gone by making a deposit two inches in front of the litter box!), walked for 10 minutes, checked on the garden (we have a freeze warning in some areas for tonight), checked the mail (need to file), watered the houseplants, caught up on a few blogs, and video chatted with my daughter (who had 358 emails waiting for her after being off for 3 weeks!)  I also watched the news and some TV programs.

Weekly Meal Planning:

This week's meal plan is eating up the leftovers!  The fridge is full of leftovers from the almsgiving and lots of treats!

Brunch was the last of the sauteed garbanzo beans.  Dinner was a baked potato, a scrambled egg, and some leftover bacon.  Snacks/desserts included a konde kavum, crackers, yogurt and treacle, and fruit.

I am also going to join a couple of bloggers who are doing a "use it up" sort of pantry challenge this month.  I have already done a major grocery pick up this month, on the 2nd, just before the almsgiving, so this is not an "I'll not buy any groceries this month" sort of challenge.  But, I've a lot of food in the freezer and the pantry that need to be used up (some items have already passed their "best by" dates).  So, I'll be avoiding grocery shopping until I've made a dent in what I have on hand.  I will, however, pick up things like bread, as needed.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- A sunny day and day time highs in the mid 60s.
- Working appliances
- Being able to pay bills online
- Electricity
- What I was able to accomplish today

Today's joyful activity was sitting in the sunshine outside, after my walk.

Plans for tomorrow include:

- The last load of holiday laundry
- Put away the holiday linens
- Put away the rest of the laundry
- Take down the winter village
- Bring in the trash cans

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for Tuesday?

New Year's Resolutions, Goals, or Aspirations?

Some years, I've called them resolutions, but, I've not always been very resolute.  Once or twice, I've called them goals and I've had better luck with attaining goals.  This year, I am going to call them aspirations!  I really don't know if what I call them makes much of a difference, but, these are the things I aspire to attain, in 2023:

Better Health:  I aspire to attain better health by doing the various things I know I need to do to attain a healthier weight, maintain my blood sugar levels, and increase my stamina and strength.  

Better Time Management:  I aspire to manage my time better, by being mindful of how I spend my time, prioritizing what needs to be done, and procrastinating less. 

Being More Organized:  I aspire to being more organized in my daily life, with established routines and a tidy house.

Living a Well Balanced Life:  I aspire to live a balanced life, by paying attention to all the different areas of my life.

I will continue to implement my New Year's aspirations by incorporating them into my Monthly Balanced Life Goals/  

Word of the Year

My 2022 Word of the Year was Resilient: able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.  I tried to be resilient in 2022 with varying degrees of success.  

My 2023 Word of the Year will be Journey.  Life is a journey and this year, I want to enjoy that journey to the fullest.  I shall travel in the company of hope and joy and it will be a journey of discovery and personal growth.

Monthly Balanced Life Goals: January Goals

My monthly balanced life goals are similar to the spokes of a wheel, with the length of each spoke representing my satisfaction in that area of my life, from 1 to 10, with 1 being most dissatisfied and 10 being most satisfied.  Ideally, all the spokes are of equal length and the wheel will roll along smoothly.  If the spokes are of unequal lengths, then, the resulting wheel will be lop-sided and wobbly.  My ratings for each segment are shown within the parentheses, with the beginning of the month ratings in black (later, when I do reviews, the end of the month ratings will be shown in blue.) 

This year, I am going to focus more on the areas that need improvement.  But for this initial assessment, I will list all the areas.

Monthly goals:

Spiritual (10):   The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life:

- Continue with daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, positive, and joyful

- Continue to cultivate non-attachment by being generous and giving to the extent I am able

I am starting the month of January feeling good about this area of my life.  Daily prayers, meditation, and being grateful are part of my daily routine.  I do still need to focus on being positive, joyful, and cultivating non-attachment.

House (7.5):  The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming:

- Clean - Clean the house as needed 
- Organize - Continue to find a place for everything and keep everything in its place
- Well maintained - Keep "erasing the evidence"; implement daily and weekly cleaning schedules
- Decluttered - Continue with the decluttering process

I'm starting the month with a house that was cleaned and decorated for the holidays and tidied a bit for the New Year.  My decluttering goal for this month is 31 items decluttered.

Garden (6.5):  The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant:

- Maintaining (water, fertilize, and weed); M will continue to visit twice a week

- Focus on the winter vegetable and fruit plants

I am starting the month with Mother Nature doing quite a bit of watering for me!  

Daughter (10):  The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her:

- Continue to enjoy the rest of the time together before she has to go back
- Continue to keep in daily contact once she goes back to her apartment

I am starting the month with my daughter being home with me.  We celebrated Christmas and New Year, together.  She will be with me for the rest of the week and then, she will fly back to the Bay Area. 

Family & Friends (8):  The goal is to have a close connection with family and friends:

- Regular phone calls and emails to check on them

I started off the month with wishing family and friends a Happy New Year.  I don't anticipate any in-person visits with family, but, there might be one visit with a friend.  

Community (10):  The goal is to be involved in my community:

- Continue to participate in the various community groups to the extent possible in the following ways:

  - Participate in the blogging community

  - Participate in the online organizing group

  - Weekly phone calls with neighbor T
  - Participate in temple events when safe to do so

I am starting January with phone calls with neighbor T to wish for the New Year and a visit from Neighbor S and her daughters to exchange holiday gifts.  

Finances (10):  The goal is financial security:

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose

I need to make a new budget for 2023.  The gas company sent me an email, as they do, showing how much they estimate my gas bill to be, based on the amount of gas I've used in the first 10 days of the billing period.  It is 2 to 3 times as much as my normal winter bills used to be, due to the cost of gas going up.  

Health & Well Being (8.5):  The goal is good health:

- Focus on continuing to improve my health through diet, hydration, adequate sleep, etc.
- Attend my medical appointments
- Continue to take my medications as prescribed

- Continue to take necessary precautions against viral infections

I start January in relative good health, considering I have chronic medical conditions.  I have a blood test, a mammogram, an ultrasound, an injection for bone strengthening, and a doctor's appointment scheduled for this month.

Time Management (8): The goal is to spend my time in a mindful manner:
- Spend time purposefully, mindfully

- Continue to focus on making my schedule work for me

- Procrastinate less

I am starting January with renewed determination to improve my time management skills!

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Self-Care (10):  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Engage in daily joyful activities
- Engage in leisure activities
- Do crafts and pursue hobbies

I am starting the month doing some leisure activities with my daughter, including doing a jigsaw puzzle and baking chocolate chip cookies.  Looking forward to a month of joyful activities and crafting.

Anyone else making New Year's Resolutions (or Goals or Aspirations) and monthly goals for a more balanced life?  Do you choose a word of the year?