GIVE
Humbled and in memory of Dan, this year I am committed to supporting a few charities. I'm not yet sure if this will be in the form of a membership or a small monthly donation. I decided that my focus will be veterans and wilderness. It just suddenly became clear to me how lucky I am and I'd like to be able to give back to some of the causes that are personal and important to me. A few organizations I am looking in to are:
US Vets
Wounded Warrior Project
Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness (Project H3 Vets & StandDown)
Sierra Club
Nature Conservancy
Audubon Society
SAVE
I recently discovered Mr. Money Mustache. He says I have a debt emergency. I never looked at it that way before, but now that I realize it, I'm getting serious over here. I am determined to have a frugal year so we can do away with this load once and for all. I know I can do it. I just have to be dedicated and disciplined. I can't wait to report back on this at the end of 2015, too. I am determined to boost our retirement and get our net worth moving in the black.
READ
I read 12 books in 2014 with the goal of actively pursuing a hobby that does not have social media attached to it. (Read my 2014 year-end book reviews here). My only goal is to surpass that this year. This resolution was really interesting for me last year and actually really successful, so I anticipate more good things to report next December.
TRACK
1. Birds. I want to start keeping a list of every bird we see in the backyard ALL YEAR. OMG I'm so excited to see how many species we come up with.
2. Dog Walks. I bought this pdf to keep track of how many nights all year we walk the dog, and I'm really interested to see how this motivates us. Half the battle is just getting out the door.
3. Dinners Cooked at Home. I also plan to use the same pdf to keep track of the nights we cook at home. We cook most nights at home, but I'm hoping this will really feel good and satisfying to see how dedicated we are to eating wholesome meals together.
4. Bike Rides. I plan to ride my bike home from school from now until school is out in May. Can I do it? Who knows. I plan to keep track just for fun and see where it takes me! Maybe it will be a good kick start for a new hobby!
As sad as I am to see things come and go, I am always refreshed at the possibility of a new year, a new outlook, a new goal, a new direction, a new attitude. It just feels so cleansing and freeing to let go of what was and look ahead to what could be. Now we just have to make what could be what is.
I'm ready to get started!
