Intentions, Resolutions and and growth

I took a different approach to the concept of the New Year's resolution this past year, which proved successful. Instead of taking on something that was a change in habit or behaviour, I chose two relatively simple tasks that I've been putting off that are "one and done" tasks that would make me feel overall better about my world and my place in it. Those two tasks were:

• Update my spice rack - my spices were an extension of the setup I started in college. A hodgepodge of bags, bottles and jars with more than a few flavours turned to dust. I updated to two nice wooden boxes with 2-dozen new jars in each.
• Update my closet - just like my spice rack, my closet is an assortment of every dollar store, dry cleaner and inherited hanger I've acquired since college. A few dozen packs of nice wood hangers make my closet look nicer and more consistent.

Certainly, neither job was hard or even that expensive. But they were unnecessary - both systems performed their required tasks the same before and after the change, but they were more mental upgrades for me. "Adulting" as Rhonda and I would call it - actually acting like an adult. 

Part of the commitment was to see the task through completely. I initially didn't buy enough to finish the project - too few bottles for my spice collection and too few hangers for my wardrobe. So it necessitated follow-up visits to the store to fill out the collection and a couple more hours to finish the job. 

I acknowledge that for many people, this is just a Saturday afternoon job but it was a seed for me. Last year was a difficult one as my gout attacks dominated so much of my life and activity. By New Year, I was ready to start taking action to get my shit back together and start feeling better about my world. Changing something unnecessary but still useful seemed like a good start - and I knew it was achievable even if I was limping around on my cane. 

With 2024 over half done and with today being my 43rd birthday, it's a good time to take on a couple new challenges. Why wait until the pit of winter to make something of myself? Plus this is blog post 800 - a nice round number to take stock.

But this time, I'm making a few more intentions and will look a bit more to the future for some of them. 

Short term - in the next 3 weeks

• Get my eaves cleaned and my downspouts fixed - these are overdue jobs and ones that I really need to get my shit together on
• Fix the camper - not just the broken lift cable that threatened to completely ruin my holiday but also do some waterproofing of the shell, lube everything up etc.
• Get a garbage truck to the house - get the pile of crap out of the yard and feel like there's less weight on me.
• Finish building my keyboard - it's mostly there. It works and I enjoy it. But it needs some re-programming and a rebuild to solder a broken lead. 

Mid-term - before the snow flies 

• Fix the deck - replace all those rotted boards, paint and get some lighting up for Rhonda.
• Clear out the garage and basement - this is a bigger job than it first seems. I need to pull back on some of the hobbies I won't pursue far because of my mobility issues. I need to sell off a lot of crap and focus on a few things. 
• Replace everything in my sock drawer.

Long term - 5-year plan

• Buy a cabin/cottage - this is not a new idea or discussion but my commitment to it solidified this week. I realized I have no desire to get a bigger/better camper and that what I really want is a quiet place to have a fire and enjoy some time.

Rhonda and I have already started to discuss what steps we would need to take to realize this dream and for that matter - even see if it's possible. The spreadsheets have already started and we've committed to talking to the bank about starting a savings account to get this done in the next few weeks. The rough idea right now is to look at the market, find out how much a cabin that would fit our needs will cost, figure out what the loan, insurance, taxes and utilities would cost and start socking that money away into savings now. In a few years, we'd have the money for the downpayment and incidentals. It's still a long wait but it would be progress and we foresee having our escape by the time the kids are done high school. 

I do keep to-do lists, both physical and in my head but I think that putting goals down in a forum like this can help make them come true. I hope to report back in a few weeks about my successes and struggles. And I hope that my plan for a cabin takes less than 5 years!