Thriving in January

Peach Blossom

My word of the year is "Thrive" and that's what I have been trying to do, although January was a difficult month for me, especially with the gale force winds and the wildfires.  We weren't in immediate danger, but, at least one friend lost their home and, at my daughter's insistence, we prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice if needed.  Fortunately, we didn't have to evacuate and the fires have all been contained now.  However, it was an anxious time. In addition, there were other happenings, which were beyond my control, but, which still impacted me and which caused some consternation.  Through it all, I was determined to be positive and to thrive.  Did you know that the past tense of thrive can be either throve or thrived?  

Since I didn't do a review of my monthly balanced life goals at the end of December or do any monthly goals for January, I thought I'd review January with thriving as my goal. 

Spiritual:

Throughout January, especially during the first week or two, I continued to feel buoyed by the almsgiving which was held at the end of December.  I kept my spiritual side thriving with daily prayers, meditation, and doing my best to live my life according to the teachings of my religion.  

Daughter:

I have loved having my daughter home all of January.  It is a joy and our relationship is thriving.  

Health & Well Being:

While there is much room for improvement in this area of my life, my follow-up  lab test results have been good.  As a result, I feel quite positive about this area of my life.  

Family, Friends, & Community:

I have kept in touch with family by phone, video chats, texts, etc., speaking with my sister, cousins, and aunts.  I've spoken on the phone and exchanged texts and emails with some friends and other friends have visited, bringing me gifts of food.  I did receive the sad news that my former neighbor and friend T had passed away on New Year's Day.  I also visited my neighbor S and her daughters in January and participated in the blogging community.  I'm pleased with the amount of interaction with my family, friends, and community, in January.  I think this area of my life is thriving.

Finances:

For the most part, I have done well managing my finances, in January.  I did go over the grocery budget, by a little over $15.  Nevertheless, this is another area in which I feel I've thrived.

Time Management:

As usual, another area with room for improvement!  I am afraid that I did not thrive in this area of my life!  I've procrastinated on many fronts and I need to really get a grip on myself and manage my time better.

Leisure/Hobbies/Crafting:

I have enjoyed lots of leisure time this month.  I finished crocheting a blanket and I've read a few e-books I borrowed from the library.  I did want to do more crafting in January, but, somehow, I didn't.  So, there's room for improvement in this area of my life.

House:

I am deeply grateful that my house was undamaged during the winds and the fires.  I am very thankful that I still have my house.  I was ready to ;eave everything behind and evacuate it if needed and the fact that I didn't need to means a lot to me.  It might not be the biggest house or the most beautifully decorated and maintained residence, but, it is my home.  I am determined to make my home a place where my daughter and I can thrive.  

Garden:

The garden in January is thriving in its own way.  Most of the fruit trees are dormant, right now, but,  I'm picking lemons and oranges almost daily and enjoying fresh lemonade and fresh oranges.  We've had one day of rain which was very welcome and there's another shower of rain in the forecast, so, the garden is thriving.

All in all, the month of January was challenging and I admit to struggling a bit.  However, I tried to thrive in small ways.

How was your January?

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?

Fifty Years

Another Squash Blossom

Another male flower on one of the squash plants.  Eileen had asked how I can tell if it is a male or female flower - the male flower has a slender stalk that looks like a regular stem.  If this had been a female flower, it would have a slight swelling at the base of the flower, shaped a bit like the fruit it would grow to become, if pollinated.  Squash plants usually get male flowers, at first, to attract pollinators, before the female flowers bloom.  The flowers are edible, but, I tend to leave them on the plant to do the job they are supposed to do.  

Today, August 30, 2023 marks the fiftieth anniversary since my mother, step-father, and I left the country of our birth, Sri Lanka.  My mother had a job waiting for her, to each English to adult students in Taiwan, but, other than that, it was very much a journey into the unknown for us. It led us to Malaysia, where we visited family and friends, to Hong Kong, where we visited more family, and to Taiwan where my mother taught and there was more family to visit.  Then, back to Hong Kong, where my mother taught for three years and I continued to journey to the United States of America to do my further studies.  Eventually, my mother and step-father joined me in the United States and we settled down in our adopted country.  We did visit Sri Lanka a few times, but the last time I visited was in mid-August 1990, over 33 years ago!

Of the three of us who left that day, back in 1973, only one of us is left to carry on with the journey. I suppose that is way, back in January, 2023, I chose "Journey" as my Word of the Year and I wrote, "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."  When I wrote that, I did not mean for my personal growth to be what my scales seem to have interpreted it to be!  No, definitely not that kind of personal growth! LOL!

I look on each day as a step in the journey and I try to remember to appreciate each day and live it to the fullest.  This blog is, in a way, a record of that journey.

Today, I woke up with pain in my right hip!  Maybe I slept weirdly or maybe I am dehydrated (which is quite possible and I am making sure I'm drinking plenty of water, today).  I am able to walk although I am shuffling more than walking; I was able to go down the back steps to unlock the gate for M and take a couple of photos.  I am fervently hoping that it won't blow up to be a full sciatica flare up, like that other time when I was practically bed ridden!  My daughter asked if I needed her to come down, but, I said no, not yet, anyway.  Hopefully, hopefully, the pain will go away!  Sigh.  

I'm taking it easy, today, and ignoring all the things I need to do!  I did text my cousin's daughter in Florida to check on her to see if she and the family came through the hurricane ok.  She texted back a little while ago saying they're fine; just had a lot of rain and some wind, but, that's all.  Glad to hear that.

M was here in the late morning to tend to the garden and he watered both front and back for me and tidied up the place a little bit.

Mama Cat has knocked over the one empty cat litter bucket I left out for her and has claimed it as her new shelter:

Mama Cat's New Home

She comes out to eat and then, goes back inside her bucket!

Today, I am grateful for:

- The journey so far
- Anniversaries and memories
- M's help with the garden
- Cousin and family in Florida weren't too impacted by the hurricane
- Daughter's offer to come home if needed

Today's joyful activity was remembering an event that happened fifty years ago.  

How was your Wednesday?  Are you planning to look at the super blue moon, tonight?

 

Monthly Goals for a Balanced Life: Mid Year Review

Here we are, half way through the year!  The first six months behind us, the next six months ahead of us.  It is a good time to pause and do a bit of a review, don't you think?  In addition to my usual monthly reviews, I want to take this opportunity to review my goals for a more balanced life, to see if I want to continue the way I've been doing things or do things need a bit of a mid-year adjustment?  

For example, New Year's Resolutions - do you make any? If you do, do you review them from time to time to see if you are keeping them or if they need to be modified in anyway?  I made five New Year's Resolutions at the beginning of this year.  Very briefly, they were to pursue good health, better time management, being more organized, being more positive, and maintaining a balanced life.  These resolutions are incorporated into my monthly goals for a balanced life; the monthly reviews enable me to see my progress on those resolutions.   

Or, how about a Word of the Year? Did you have a Word of the Year?  Or One Little Word as some call it? I know at least one blogger who selects a new word every quarter.  I chose "Resilient" as my word of the year; I wanted to be more resilient in all areas of my life and considered it as part of my overall well being, but, going forward, I will include it as part of my "Spiritual" category, along with joyful, grateful, and positive, in my Balanced Life goals.  

I visualize my life as a wheel, with 10 spokes, currently (I had more spokes, at one time, but, 10 are what I have now), each spoke representing a category or area in my life.  Each month, I rate my satisfaction in each area on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being most dissatisfied and 10 being most satisfied.  Ideally, all the spokes have a rating of higher than 5 and are of equal length which enable the wheel to roll along smoothly.  If some spokes are shorter in length than others, then, the resulting wheel is lop-sided and wobbly!  I usually indicate my satisfaction ratings for each segment within parentheses, with the beginning of the month ratings in black and the end of the month ratings being shown in blue.

So, here is my mid-year review of my goals for a balanced life:

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

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

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

I have continued with my daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, positive, resilient, and joyful.  I have continued being generous and giving in various ways (not just in terms of giving money and other donations, but, also giving my time, energy, and other resources).  I haven't been to the Temple during the first six months of this year, but, I have had the monks come to my home for an almsgiving, I have helped them from time to time, and I have practiced the teachings of my religion in my daily life, observing the daily precepts of being mindful of my thoughts, speech, and actions in order not to cause harm or pain to another being.  I feel that I do live a spiritually meaningful life and moving forward, I will continue to keep the same spiritual goals. 

I will continue to keep the rating at 10.

July's Spiritual goals will be the same as above.  

House & Garage (6.75)(7):  The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming:
- Clean - Clean the house and garage as needed
- Organized - 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've kept up with the housework, cleaning, organizing, maintaining, and decluttering.  During the first six months of this year, I have sorted out the garden shed and the garage, and I have decluttered hundreds of items.  June decluttering included several food storage containers and canning jars, a couple of items of clothing, some household items, magazines, gift bags, boxes/packing material, and a broken sewing machine.    Moving forward, I will continue to keep the same goals for a pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming home.

In June, I managed to keep the house maintained and I managed to fix one item that was broken; I felt very pleased with myself that I was able to do that!

I have raised the rating to 7, based on what I was able to accomplish!

July House & Garage goals will be the same as above.  My July Room of the Month will be the kitchen and my decluttering goal is 31 items.

Garden (8.0)(8.0):  The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant:

- Maintaining (water, fertilize, and weed)

- Planting summer vegetables!
- Start improving the parkway in the front

The garden has done well during the first six months of this year, providing me with fresh fruits (lemons, oranges, peaches, blueberries, a handful of plums) and vegetables (broccoli, peapods, beetroot, broccoli leaves, chard leaves, chilies, potatoes, and one or two sweet potatoes) as well as flowers and hours of enjoyment.  I was able to preserve some of the produce to share with my daughter, family, and friends, and to enjoy in the coming months.  Going forward, additional watering restrictions will make gardening more challenging, but, I will continue to focus on growing an edible garden.

The parkway improvements are still under consideration; it will be my July project.  

I am keeping the rating to 8.0 even though a recent heat wave caused some damage to the newly planted vegetable plants.

July Garden goals will be the same as above.

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

- Keep in daily contact with her

My daughter was with me for the first quarter of this year, returned to her apartment for two months, and visited me, again, for a week in June.  I loved having her home with me and look forward to the next time we will be together.  In the meantime, we keep in daily contact, checking on each other and chatting.  I am happy with the relationship we have and hope we will continue to have a close relationship in the future, too.   

I am keeping the rating at 10!

July Daughter goals will be the same as above.

Family & Friends (10)(8):  The goal is to have a close connection with family and friends:

- Regular phone calls and emails to check on them
- In person get togethers as and when I feel comfortable about them

I am satisfied with the connections I've had with family and friends during the first half of this year.  They were mostly by phone, emails, and texts, but, there were a few in-person visits, too, although some of them made me feel a bit uneasy due to on-going Covid concerns.  I tend to be more reluctant to let my guard down than the rest of my family and the majority of my friends where Covid is concerned and am not as willing to mingle as they are.  They are ready to put Covid behind them and move on; I am of the opinion that we are still in the middle of the pandemic (our County's new Covid case numbers are still quite high, over 7,300 new cases, today) and I am not willing to take many risks.  In fact, I have declined an invitation to get together with my sister for lunch and to attend an up-coming family event due to my reluctance to mingle.  Moving forward, I see myself continuing to keep a physical distance and limiting interactions with family and friends to phone calls, texts, emails, and maybe the occasional curb-side/masked visit.  Is that the best way going forward?  Probably not.  But, it is the only way I am comfortable with, at present.  

I have reduced the rating to 8.0 to reflect the fact that I know there are things I can do to improve my connection to them, even if I am not willing to do those things, at present.

July Family and Friends goals will include:

- Regular phone calls and emails to check on them; as mentioned above, I've already opted out of two invitations to be with family
- Celebrate a friend's birthday with a curb-side visit
- Observe my father's death anniversary

Community (10)(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
  - Food exchanges with neighbors from time to time
  - Participate in temple events when safe to do so

I participated in my community in the various ways that I felt comfortable participating in the first half of this year.  Much of it was online or on the phone, with some limited in person interactions with neighbors.  Unlike interactions with family and friends, I am content with this level of interactions with the community in the second half of this year.  

I'm keeping the rating at 10.

July Community goals will be the same as above.

Finances (10)(10):  The goal is financial security:

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose

I live on a fixed income since I am retired and have continued to manage my finances in a responsible manner, budgeting and spending as mindfully as possible during the first half of this year.  I don't anticipate that to change in the second half of the year, even with rising inflation and increasing costs of living.  

I am keeping the rating at 10.

July Financial goals:

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose 

Health & Well Being (8.5)(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 continue to have some chronic health issues, but, my health was good for the most part during the first six months of this year.  I have had routine check ups with my health care providers, including the required lab tests and scans.  I have continued to take my medications as prescribed and the booster vaccinations against Covid.  Going forward, I have more routine check ups, including one appointment at the end of July, one at the end of October, and one at the end of November.   

I am keeping the satisfaction rating at 8.5.

July Health & Well Being goals will be the same as above.

Time Management (7.5)(7.5): 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 continued to struggle with my time management during the first half of this year and often felt that I was not making good use of my time, procrastinating and idling and not being as productive as I should be.  I know that I spend a lot of my time on the computer.  However, I have managed to accomplish quite a few things during the productive periods.  Going forwards, this is one of the areas in my life that I will closely monitor to see why I feel I am not managing my time as well as I should and what needs to improve.   

I am going to keep the rating at 7.5.

July Time Management goals are the same as above.  

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Self-Care (10)(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 feel I did very well in this area of my life during the first six months of this year, engaging in daily joyful activities, leisure activities, crafts and hobbies, although, sometimes, they were more "inactivities" than "activities"!  LOL!  I tend to be less of a "do-er" and more of a "be-er".  I don't always enjoy doing things - going places, seeing things, attending events, etc.  I'd much rather just be where I am, usually at home, relaxing and not doing anything in particular.  I think this might be why I feel I am not managing my time well, because I am not being productive; I'm just sitting and be-ing!   I did finish a few crafts projects and I participated in photo challenges and I did some painting!  Going forward, I am planning to continue with craft projects and the various hobbies that I enjoy doing.  

I am keeping the rating at 10.  

July Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Self-Care goals will be the same as above.

In conclusion, I feel I have managed to live a fairly well balanced life during the first half of this year.  Yes, there is room for improvement, even in those areas which have a high rating of satisfaction, as the areas can be changed to expand or contract as needed as circumstances change.  Going forward, I plan to continue to review each area and do what I can to live as well balanced a life as possible while still being cautious about viral infections, pandemics, and other concerns.  That is the goal for the second half of this year.

What do you think?  What are your goals for the rest of this year?

2022 Resolutions & Word of the Year

New Year Resolutions

My 2022 New Year resolutions will be the same as my resolutions in previous years, as they still apply:

Resolution 1:  Continue to pursue good health by keeping all medical appointments, taking my prescribed medications, eating a healthier diet (more vegetables and complex carbohydrates, less refined sugar), drinking enough water and staying hydrated, increasing my activity levels to build up stamina and strength,  and getting sufficient sleep.

Resolution 2:  Better time management by procrastinating less and attending to things right away and getting them done.

Resolution 3:  Be more organized by decluttering, having a place for everything and making a habit of keeping/putting back everything in its place.

Resolution 4:  Be more positive by focusing on accomplishments.

Resolution 5:  Maintain a balanced life, by paying attention to all the different areas of my life.

I plan to continue to incorporate my New Year's resolutions into my Monthly Balanced Life Goals to make sure they are worked on throughout the year.  The monthly balanced life goals are how I plan to implement my annual resolutions.  Resolution 1 (good health) is incorporated in the Health and Well Being segment; Resolution 2 (time management) is incorporated in the Time Management segment; Resolution 3 (being more organized) is incorporated in the House segment; Resolution 4 (being more positive) is incorporated in the Spiritual segment, and Resolution 5 (a more balanced life) is incorporated into the monthly goals for a balanced life.

Word of the Year

My 2021 Word of the Year was Upeksha/Equanimity.  I hoped to respond to events in a composed, balanced manner.  I think I was able to manage that for the most part.

My 2022 Word of the Year is a word suggested to me by my daughter: Resilient: able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.  I hope that, in 2022, I will be resilient as circumstances continue to evolve around me.

Monthly Balanced Life Goals: December Review and 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 and the end of the month ratings being shown in blue.

Monthly goals:

Spiritual (10)(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 continued with my daily prayers, meditation, being grateful; I have tried to be positive, generous, and joyful.  I was also able to talk with the monks at the Temple and have booked a date to have an almsgiving in the first week in January!  I feel that I do live a spiritually meaningful life and I am very pleased with this area of my life!

I will continue to keep the rating at 10.

January Spiritual  goals will include the almsgiving, scheduled for January 5.  My daughter has offered to do all the cooking and she will help me with the rest of the preparations, too.  It will be a much scaled back event, due to Covid precautions, but, I am looking forward to it.  

House (8.5)(8.5):  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

 

The house was cleaned and decorated for Christmas,.  I kept the house maintained for the most part, but, last minute holiday gift making and wrapping created messes that need to be cleared!  Decluttering went well, even with new items (mostly clothes) coming into the house!  I exceeded my goal of decluttering 31 items this month and about 8 bags of donations were picked up by a charity.

I am keeping my rating at 8.5.  

January House goals will be the same as above, with putting away the holiday decorations and getting the house ready for the almsgiving being the focus.  I am planning to continue with the decluttering in January, too; the goal is at least 31 items! 

Garden (9.5)(9.5):  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

The garden continues to thrive, with Mother Nature doing most of the watering for me!  The lemon trees are full of fruits, the orange tree has fruits ripening, and I've harvested the first peapods.  

I am keeping the rating at 9.5, because the garden has been doing quite well.    

January Garden goals will include:

- Maintaining (water, fertilize, and weed); M will continue to visit twice a week
- Focus on the winter vegetable and fruit plants

Daughter (10)(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
- Take her to get her booster dose
- Do more fun (safe) activities together (some craft projects, painting, etc.)

- Celebrate the holidays (Christmas and New Year) together

I have continued to enjoy having my daughter home with me; we celebrated her being home for a whole year, just before Christmas!  I took her to get her booster dose and fussed over her while she recovered from the side effects!  Fun activities included making our traditional holiday love cake and having some of her friends over to dinner one night.  We celebrated Christmas and New Year's Eve together and I hope it is something we can continue to do for many years to come.

I am keeping the rating at 10!

January Daughter goals will include:

- Continue to enjoy the rest of the time together before she has to go back (not sure when, but, probably at the end of this month or beginning of February)

Family & Friends (10)(10):  The goal is to have a close connection with family and friends:

- Regular phone calls and emails to check on them
- Attend aunt's memorial service

I interacted with family and friends mainly through phone calls, emails, texts, etc.  But, there were also more in person interactions in December, than in previous months, with me attending aunt T's memorial service and giving cousin P a ride, visiting cousin R a week or so later, attending a family gathering for Christmas (and giving P a ride), picking up bags of new-to-us clothing from cousin P, and curbside visits with friend R.  There was, also, the exchange of food with friends from time to time!    LOL.

I am keeping the rating at 10.  

January Family and Friends goals will include:

- Regular phone calls and emails to check on them
- Have friend R over to lunch (when we are having the almsgiving)

- Visit friend A when her health permits

Community (10)(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 participated in the blogging community and interacted with my neighbors, exchanging holiday gifts with them, etc.  I'm keeping the rating at 10.

January Community goals will be the same as above!

Finances (10)(10):  The goal is financial security:

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose; the big expenses this month will be paying the homeowner's and earthquake insurance for next year (due at the end of the month) and holiday gifts, although I budget for that, year round. 

I continued to budget and spend as mindfully as possible in December.  I paid the homeowner's and earthquake insurance.  I haven't run the numbers for the whole year, yet, but, I stayed within budget for the most part and didn't incur any debt, so I am content!   

I am keeping the rating at 10.

January Financial goals:

- Set up my budget for the year

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose  

Health & Well Being (8.0)(8.0):  The goal is good health:

- Focus on continuing to improve my health
- Focus on diet and hydration

- Go for a blood test towards the end of the month

My health goals are on-going.  I had my blood test done at the end of the month and the results were mostly good, but, I need some further testing based on a couple of results.  I have told myself that I am not going to worry about it until the further tests are done (my doctor will put in the requests and I will be notified by the insurance company when they are authorized).  Until then, however, I will do what I can to maintain a healthier lifestyle.  

I am keeping the satisfaction rating at 8.0 on the strength of the good portions of the blood test results.

January Health and Well Being goals

- Focus on continuing improve my health

- Focus on diet and hydration

- Go for my mammogram (scheduled for January 7)

- Take another blood test (prior to appointment with the oncologist)

- Oncologist appointment (scheduled for January 27)

Time Management (7)(7): 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

The good news is, I am getting things done on time.  The bad news is, I still procrastinate and, as a result, there is a lot of last minute rushing around!  This is another area with much room for improvement!  Therefore, I will keep the rating at 7.  

January Time Management goals are the same as above.  

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Self-Care (10)(10):  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Engage in daily joyful activities, with the focus on getting the holiday gifts done!

I engaged in daily joyful activities in December.  They've included making holiday gifts, chatting with family and friends, attending a Christmas get together with family, having friends visit, etc.  I am keeping the rating at 10.  

January Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Self-Care goas include:

- Resuming piano lessons (second week in January)

- Continue with craft projects that are in progress
- Participate in the Monthly Photo Challenge and the Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt
- Watch some videos with my daughter

December has been another good month, overall.  My ratings remained the same as nothing improved or got worse that dramatically.  Health/Well Being and Time Management will continue to be the focus areas in January, too.      

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

Word of the Year: Upeksha/Equanimity

Last year (2020) was the first year I chose to select a word of the year and the word I chose was "Organized", although I didn't do a blog post about it (instead, I posted it on the online organizing group in which I participate).  I like to think that I was at least somewhat organized in 2020, although, perhaps not to the extent I would have liked!  But, being organized, for me at least, is a moving goal!  It will continue to be something I will strive towards, in this year, too.  

But, 2021 deserves its own word of the year!  I considered several, including "mindful", "purposeful", "faith", and "intentional", before I decided on my word, today:  "Upeksha".

Upeksha is a Sanskrit word.  In English, it is translated as "Equanimity" or "even minded".  It means having a stable, balanced mind that is not shaken by what one experiences, it means being composed, it means living a balanced life, it means being dispassionate, but, it does not mean being indifferent. 

I suppose I could have just gone with Equanimity as my word of the year.  But, I chose Upeksha, instead, because it has a religious significance to me.  In Buddhism, upeksha is one of the four states of sublime attitudes to be cultivated, along with maitri (generally translated as "loving kindness"), karuna (kindness, although, often translated as compassion, as well), and mudita (joy).  

I chose this word because I have a feeling that this sort of equanimity is something I will need this year.  It looks like it will be another year of many ups and downs, with much of what is happening being beyond my control.  Under such circumstances, when I haven't control over what is happening, then, I need to focus on what I can control, which is how I react and respond.  In which case, I would like to respond with equanimity or upeksha, in a composed, balanced manner.  That is the goal, at least.  How well I manage to achieve it is yet to be seen!  Wish me well, please!

Do you usually choose a word of the year?  Have you chosen your word for this year?