Excuses and Resolutions (old and new)

Perhaps it was the seven snow days, one "vacation" and a 3 hour delay in January that has kept me from posting in this new year. (And before that is was the almost-dislocated shoulder and general holiday business & lethargy...) Though I suspect it was the feeling that I should evaluate the year 2010 in regards to the goals I set for myself.

Frankly, I did not do so great.

I did watch less "live" TV... but got addicted to Netflix instant downloads of TV shows I'd missed the first go-round: Farscape, True Blood, and my most recent favorite Firefly. I think it has one of the best TV marriages I've seen in a long time. (See pic to the left... great cast featuring stars from Alias, Chuck, V, Buffy, Castle, The Cape...) Anyway...

My goal of reading 40 books fell somewhat short at 36. Which is still 3 a month. And I'll renew that goal for 2011, having already read Girl Meets God and Tinkerers this January.

My goal of running in two 5Ks also didn't happen. I ran one in the spring, but I never did run one in the fall. In my defense, I was not just sitting on my butt. I still ran and could have run a 5K -- I was back up to that distance... I just didn't work out to enter and run a road-race.

2010 was big in other ways that promise to make 2011 quite the year. My chapbook of poetry was accepted for publication (and should be arriving in the mail any day now!). And my play An Uncivil Union: The Battle of Burnsville was put on the schedule for the Parkway Playhouse's summer run. (June 3 - 11) So, 2011 is going to be a new kind of challenge for me... Instead of stewing about getting my work out there, I will need to figure out how to deal with the opinions of others about my work.

My goals are to approach 2011 with a sense of humility. To remember the challenges and doubt of 2010, and thus approach what comes next with gratitude.

Yes, I want to try to read 40 books again, continue to publish (or at least continue putting my work out there) and maybe instead of running two 5Ks, work on rehabbing my body: weak shoulder, knees (patella femoral pain) and heel (plantar fasciitis). (oooh - how cool is that? a word with a double I... The only other one I knew was "skiing.")

May 2011 be a year of not falling apart and putting myself back together, stronger than before.