Traditionally, it’s that time of year where we set down our goals for the coming 12 months, so here’s my list:
- Get healthy. Right now, I’m fighting a bad cold, so the first order of business is to recover from that. But in general, I’ve let my limited exercise regimen lapse since I went to China in October and gained some weight. I hate working out, but like to get my exercise through walks, hikes and yardwork. I’m going to add yoga to the list this year – I have free access to a wonderful teacher that I need to take advantage of more than once a week. I want to bag some more 14’ers with my son (and maybe Diana too!)
- Remove the grassy expanse in my yard. When we bought our house, I planted a huge bluegrass lawn on the north side of my house. I always figured it would be a place for the kids to play soccer, croquet or throw a ball with me and it has been a good place for that. But the kids are grown and now it’s mostly a sea of green that I spend lots of money to water. My plan is to turn it into raised beds and a mini orchard full of plants that bees like. How much of that gets done in 2014 will depend on time and money, but at least I can get it planned if nothing else.
- Expand the bee yard. I’m going to build another hive and get more bees and fill out the plants in the yard. I’m going to make a solar powered water fountain to water the bees and provide a joyous sound as I sit and watch them. Add a new bench to replace the cinder block and plank one I cobbled together last year and add some funky artwork to fences.
- Serve the less fortunate. Our church, along with the other downtown churches in Boulder, serves a hot meal for the homeless each Sunday. I used to run the Sunday Soup Kitchen for several years, but turned over the reins to someone else who has done a wonderful job. But I fear Scott is going to get burned out, and I think it’s time for me to help out again. I’m going to share my garden’s bounty in the summer, volunteer more often on the 4th Sunday and find other ways that we can make the event more sustainable and earth-friendly. There are other ways our church supports the homeless that I want to participate in, as well. And the little kindness I can provide through a meal is thoroughly appreciated by all who eat it.
- Lessen my impact on the planet. Diana and I are member’s of our church’s EcoMinistry which strives to find ways to help our church and others become aware of and reduce the impact we have on our planet. We believe that we are caretakers of the earth and not that we have dominion over it. So this year, I resolve to ride the bus to work more, find ways for our church and members to become “carbon-neutral”, eat more organically than we already do (that might be hard) and reduce if not eliminate the toxic chemicals I use in my daily life.
I think I can get to most of these.
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