Looking Back

If you've never read The Time Paradox, by Philip Zimbardo and Jim Boyd, I can recommend it. Perhaps I should warn British readers it may smack of self-help. It's been a while but from what I recall, it is full of quizzes to help decide if you mainly (mentally/emotionally) live in the past, in the future or in the present (the latter being a rather hedonistic group, I think).  I'm thinking they recommended a bit of all three.  Note to self to re-read it.

Anyhow, I would suggest if you are busy planning all the things you want to do in 2018, it might be good it remember all you did in 2017. I don't think most of us give ourselves credit for all that we do. I jotted some brief notes for 2017, as I try to do at the end of each year; no doubt other things will come to mind when this is published, but here is my list:

• I 'lost' 12 pounds. Mind I 'found' a few over the holidays but am confident they will fall off again, once all the junk food is gone (AKA eaten). The only thing I did was to stop buying or making bread, buying cheese or crackers. Well, the other thing was to make my own lunch of yogurt, fruit and nuts instead of having Bill make (delicious but sometimes fattening) lunch. We eat together at breakfast and usually dinner, but go our own ways at lunch.
• Made two new friends that I see semi-regularly.  These are two ladies I met at the WI that I decided I want to know better. I have a list of friends I want to keep up with and I cycle through their names, making dates to get together.
• Went to dressmaking classes and made myself three t-shirts and two button-down shirts. 
• Re-arranged my new sewing room after redecorating (new paint & carpet). It doesn't look how I'd like, but it looks how it looks. Further transformation is likely a rest-of-my-life task, but it works well for me as it is. It isn't as good as a guest room since everything isn't hidden behind a closet door anymore, but we have overnight guests maybe 3-4 times a year, so it will have to do for now.
• Adopted the clean house habits from Zen Habits. Bill has signed on for most of this as well and  though neither of us is perfect we have enjoyed a much tidier house this past year. I've only recently attempted the 15-minute a day un-clutter and in the run up to Christmas I was amazed at the mountains that got shifted. 
• Attended all my WI (Women's Institute) and WI Book Group meetings when we were in town.  
• Boycotted Amazon (other than I bought two books I couldn't get otherwise in time for my Book Group and got two books as Christmas gifts). Expect I saved at least a hundred pounds.
• Read 57 books.
• Published 53 blog posts.
• Joined the YMCA gym with Bill; attended Zumba Gold classes regularly at Linskill Community Centre.
• Posted notices in community centres about yarn for our knitting group.
• Had holidays in Switzerland (a new place) and France (revisited familiar places). 
• Found gardening workshops and a foraging (for free food!) club
• Attended a lecture on the history of jewellery in Harrogate.
• Made a coptic stitch notebook on my own (well, with a video)
• Started Bullet Journalling
• Made rosehip syrup (a post is forthcoming)
• Donated an enormous pile of clothing from the attic, keeping only natural fibre / dye-able / biodegradable cloth.
• Wrapped all our Christmas gifts in re-cycled paper from last year and with re-cycled and/or handmade bows.

None of these is earth-shaking and there are loads of other even smaller items I could possibly add. However ordinary these 'achievements', they all help shape the life I have long wanted to make for myself.

What did you do in 2017?