Fall

It's the beginning of fall. Mostly.

Technically fall hasn't started. By my calendar, we're about two weeks into fall. For ease of personal accounting, fall begins September 1.

At the beginning of each season I sneak into the Little Brother's room and write up a list of goals for him. I don't know that he even reads the lists of goals I write up for him. But he knows they are there and he knows I did it and it makes him roll his eyes at me.

Have I mentioned that getting eye rolls from the little brother is one of my keenest pleasures in life? All is right when I get a good eye roll.

A few days ago, while the little brother was at school, I snuck into his room, erased his summer goals, and wrote up a list of four or five fall goals. It occurred to me, as I was kneeling on the floor considering what might be good goals for him this fall, that I should perhaps consider fall goals for myself.

I made goals for my brother who had his own goals and ignored mine. It would be more effective and really just a good idea for me to make goals for myself. So I did.

I've been making summer goals for as long as I can remember. They are always frivolous and full of fun and I make no effort to make them happen.

I tried to do the same with my fall goals, but I couldn't. I suppose I'm a product of the school system I grew up in. Summers are full of lightness. Falls are for productivity and accomplishment. I did manage to slip in one thing frivolous, but it's actually not that frivolous.

My goals, in no particular order:

1. Get my mornings together
2. Establish a yoga habit
3. Finish the New Testament
4. InDesign planner pages
5. tress coach
6. Complete Nanowrimo
7. Order green shimmer nail polish
8. Build things
9. Finish goodreads currently reading list
10. Be Mindful

Goal 1: I'm working hard to establish a morning routine. I'm hoping having a consistent but not too restrictive way to start my mornings will help set me up for better, less stressful days and more productivity.

Goal 2: I'm looking for physical and mental benefits here. Yoga gives me a place to breath, to center myself on myself. It ought to help with my stress levels, my tight neck and shoulders, my weak back, my sanity levels, and my brain chemistry. Win, win, win, win, and win. It's important to me to establish this habit before the shorter days of winter come.

Goal 3: I started it at the beginning of the year. I need to finish.

Goal 4: I've tried a lot of different planners over the years. Nothing has given me exactly what I wanted out of a planner. So I bought myself a mini three-ring binder and I'm making my own planning pages. This way, I can make them exactly as I want. It also means I can easily make changes as my needs change. I have lots of pages to finish, finance pages, monthly, weekly, and daily pages, meal pages. I want to get my basic system established before the new year. 

Goal 5: My work offers me access to health coaches for free. Part of my thinks it's bunk. But it's free so I'll try it. I am trying to reduce stress to reduce headaches to reduce the times I need to hide in my bed. So, I'll try it. Maybe they can offer me strategies I haven't thought off myself.

Goal 6: I'm going to participate in and complete Nanowrimo this year. It's happening.

Goal 7: I've been searching for the perfect green shimmer nail polish for years. I had one as a teenager that I had on my toe nails almost always. I think I've found the perfect one. I just need to make room for it in my frivolous budget either this month or next.

Goal 8: I need shelves in my cold storage and step stools in my pantry and closet. I want to build these things.

Goal 9: Sometimes I need to clear things out completely so I can start over new. I'm tired of some of the items that have been hanging out on my currently reading. It's time to finish them all so I can start clean.

Goal 10: I want to be more mindful. Of everything. Of myself, of the things I can do to help myself and to help others, of the tremendous blessings I have in my life.

PS For me, goals are fluid. I don't tie myself down and I'm happy to change my goals as needed based on changing circumstances and priorities.

PPS I watched this history channel's ancient aliens program on netflix while I wrote this up. I love alien programs. I think they are all complete bunk which is part of why I enjoy watching them so much. You learn a lot about history that isn't mentioned in normal programs because mostly they talk about the things that are inexplicable. Unless, of course, you introduce aliens into the equation.

PPPS When I write, I dump. I usually go back over my writing and delete at least a third. Make things more concise, tighten it up, delete things that don't matter. Sometimes I take pleasure in letting my brain dump stand. This post is a brain dump with no extra time or conciseness added.