It’s the end of November. I didn’t realize that until my girlfriend Alexis posted this on Facebook: “Tomorrow is the first day of Dec and the end of the year is near. What’s left on your 2011 to-do list?” What happened to hump day lightness? What a loaded question!
That question leads me to a list. Here are the top seven things I would like to do before the end of the year. I went with seven to honor the last month of my thirty-seventh year.
- I need to make my mom’s birthday gift and figure out gifts for Christmas. (I’ve been struggling with what to buy, and I was reminded yesterday that the very best gifts are not those we buy.)
- I want to finish my girlfriend Erin’s Ironman photo book. (Again, this is something that makes me happy because her half-Ironman book was a big hit, and because she smoked Ironman Canada this year.)
- I need to update my Quickbooks file for Ready Pen Productions. (This is a task for which I am completely grateful because (a) it means I finally starting my writing business this year and (b) I have income and expenses to report.)
- I need to finish my website for Ready Pen. (My web designer has all the structure in place and came up with a fun concept, but I need to write the text.)
- I want to load all my music on my computer so I can get rid of my cds. (I’m thinking about asking my niece or nephew to do this for me. They are young and smart and super tech savvy. That’s a good Christmas vacation job, no?)
- I need to do a massive cleaning of my car and house, including cleaning out closets and drawers and such. (I’m a big believer in reducing down and throwing out all the unnecessary stuff and trash so that I start the new year lighter and cleaner. Plus, my cousin’s kids complained over Thanksgiving about my car being dirty. If little boys think it’s dirty, it must be really dirty.)
- I need to create my 2012 goal list. (This is my favorite part of new years. I loveplotting, scheming, planning and dreaming big.)
It sounds like a lot to me, especially considering that it’s quite possibly the busiest month of the year with various parties and gatherings and concerts and such. Plus, I need to keep working out and working and somehow still find time to sit and read books and watch movies. Is it too much? I might say so except that not one of these tasks feels like a chore. Each thing on the list is something I want and that matters to me.
I agree with my high school classmate Lindsey when she says, “We protect fiercely time for those things and people and events we truly value.” I am adopting that statement for myself. No more excuses about being busy and such. I protect fiercely time for those things and people and events I truly value.