Carpe Diem 2013

From here

 A new year is less than half an hour away here in the Eastern time zone - a whole new year, a new set of days for us to fill with good works and useful activities, a fresh expanse of time that holds mystery and anticipation. It's so exciting to think about what might be coming up this year!

Here are some of my goals for 2013:

From here

- Take time to be feminine and graceful. I actually have a post in the works about this; but I have found that, during the semester especially, it's easy for me to yank on a pair of weatherproof boots and wad up my hair on the back of my head and "git 'r done" - I feel like I don't have time to think about things like femininity, grace, or romance. Which is, in fact, not true. I want to slow down a little this year and make some room in my life for soft hair, long skirts, flowers, and daydreams.

- Rebuild some friendships I've been neglecting. I am so terrible about maintaining friendships in my real life - I am such an "out of sight, out of mind" person. I have a few friendships that I want to specifically target for reconstruction this year.

- Focus on reality, not imagination. So ... yeah. I already know my imagination works just fine. I've given it plenty of fodder to work with over the last 24 years. This year, I want to work to spend a little less time with Star Trek and Pinterest, and a little more time emailing friends and family, blessing the lives of real people, spending time in God's Word, and working toward my real goals.

- Make a decision on grad school. I can't tell you much about this right now, because it's still in the investigative stages; but I'm doing some research into a grad school option that would radically alter my plans for my career, and life in general. I have a lot of praying, discussing and deciding to do; and I have to make that decision this year.

From here

- Make other plans ... The desire has been growing on me in the last year to travel somewhere. I have never been out of the country, never even been on a plane; and I have decided that, sometime toward the end of my bachelor's degree and before my graduate degree, I am going to travel out of the country. I want to see more of the world and try living somewhere, on my own, in a totally different culture, at least once in my life. This is still a year or two away; but I want to start planning for it this year, so I can really go when the time comes.

- Prioritize. The Internet is a dangerous place for people with short attention spans and low self-discipline ... I want to consciously make the most important things in my life the things I spend the most time on: Bible reading and prayer, church, homework, and relationships. Time is short; it should not be wasted on things that don't last.

*****

What are your goals for 2013? I pray that each and every one of you would have the greatest year of your lives - let me know if I can pray for you as your work to reach your own goals!!

Happy New Year, my dear friends!

Much love,
Vicki