Start, Stop, Continue

Ella's teacher sent home a worksheet over break asking the students to list things they wanted to start doing, stop doing and continue doing. It was a New Year's Resolution kind of thing. Ella said she was going to start reading chapter books by herself, stop fighting with her sister and continue climbing things. I asked if maybe she wanted to list stop chewing on her hair, but she picked not fighting instead. I think she has a better chance with not chewing on her hair, but it was her list so I let it go.

I decided to do the same exercise. Here's my list:

Start: I'm going to start running whenever I get the chance, even if it's at four in the afternoon and only for 20 minutes. I need to just get out there and run and not worry about scheduling my workouts.

Stop: I need to stop beating myself up so much about not being absolutely perfect. It's ok if there's laundry not folded or the floors are a bit dusty. I have three kids, one husband, a house, a dog and a freelance career. I think I've taken on quite enough, and the kids and Brandon need to be my top priorities, not making sure that all the laundry is folded and put up.

Continue: I'm going to continue reading as much as I have been. There's so much to learn about and so many interesting stories out there. I'm broadening my mind and taking a break from the cares of the day.

So there - my New Year's Resolutions. Nothing grand or extravagent. I'm not trying to change the world or cure cancer, just make it through the day and feel good about what I'm doing.