2012: pretty good year?

I don’t think 2012 has gotten off to the best start for me. New Year’s Eve was a bust; after dinner I broke out into hives (nothing too serious, but still) followed by stomach cramps and a headache, and when I lay down I fell asleep and slept through midnight, then woke up the next morning with back, shoulder, and neck pain. I think I’m okay now, two days later (though I am suffering from post-holiday, back-to-work blues), but it wasn’t an auspicious start to my year! I’m hoping that it can only get better from here.

That’s my motto for 2012. Not that I’m expecting a personal equivalent of WWII, knock on wood.

I am one of those people who make New Year’s Resolutions every year and then promptly forget about them by January 21. But I still make them every year. And I don’t know, things feel different this year (let’s see, I’m not sick, depressed, or feeling hopeless in my job, for a start), I feel positive about my chances for lasting change in my life. I’m up for a challenge!

In 2012, I will:

1. Be financially responsible. I am terrible with money, I am not a natural saver and budgets are a mystery to me. A year without shopping is unrealistic for me, so my plan is to put away the plastic (cash only) and limit myself to one item a month (much like Dea). This is a tough one for a spender like me, but I’m pretty excited about it. I think I’ve come to a point of closet saturation and I don’t really need anything else, so that one item will have to be something I love. I really hope that when I look back again on December 31, 2012, I’ve kept this resolution, even if it’s the only one.
2. Exercise at least once a week. It doesn’t have to be in the gym. Walking 5km (just over 3 miles) home from work counts.
3. Be tidier and eliminate clutter. I think shopping less will definitely help with that.
4. Cook/eat at home at least four times a week. Leftovers count. I actually think this one will be the toughest, because as much as I love to eat, I don’t actually like to cook.
5. Put the iPad down and read more. I always say my M.A. in English Literature killed my love of reading, but I graduated almost 10 years ago (June 2002). That’s not an excuse anymore. It’s terrible that it took me 6 months to finish one book (actually, I was only halfway through after 6 months when I decided I had to finish it before the end of the year, and read the second half in two days). I’m hoping for at least one book a month. Rereads count. It’s only January 3 and I’m 3/4 of the way through my first book of the year, so I have high hopes for this one!

And the less tangible stuff that I aspire to…

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I’m really looking forward to this year.