November came and went in its usual exhausting way. The year after year ebb and flow of academic semesters has given November a near-but-not-nearly-near-enough-to-the-finish-line-of-a-marathon sort of vibe for me. November makes me tired, tired, tired.
Here are the goals and what I managed to accomplish on them in November:
1. Cook something fabulous and complicated every other week.
Somehow I managed to throw together two mediocre dinners by sheer force of will in the name of this resolution. Go me!
2. Eat dinner before 7:30.
All-time high here — 80% success rate.
3. Tend the garden.
The 7 hours I spent in my yard was by far the most enjoyable part of the entire month. I raked and raked and raked and raked and raked and raked and raked oak and sycamore leaves. Other people came over to help push leaves around the yard, which made me beyond grateful.
The crepe myrtles and rose of Sharon are pruned, the dead plants are mostly out of the beds. I harvested some of the arugula and lettuce and planted more. The indoor plants were repotted and the amaryllis bulbs were pulled out for the season. They are happily sprouting in the window seal.
There is still more raking to be done.
4. Write a book.
Har. I got 80 minutes of writing done.
5. Meditate 15 minutes a day.
I accomplished just over 2 hours for the entire month.
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December 14, 2015 at 5:31 pm
Dana
I hear you on the dreary connotations that academia poisons November with… I’ve been out of the university scene since 2006, and it’s only recently that I’ve come to really appreciate and enjoy Novembers! (Unfortunately, now it’s my Augusts that have been sullied with exhaustion. The whole summer is an exercise in counting down to Labor Day, really. Can’t wait to reclaim the summer months for hiking and hanging out! One day…)
Anyway. Look at you go, making it through November! The fact that you accomplished ANYTHING on your goals is a big, big feat. I hope you’re celebrating yourself and giving yourself hearty congratulations!
And now it’s December! End of semester! Rejoice! 🙂
December 21, 2015 at 10:44 am
Lunar Euphoria
Thanks for your optimism and encouragement Dana. 😀
I like August a lot. It is a big birthday and anniversary month in my family. It’s like having another month of Christmas around here. And the semester doesn’t usually start ’til the end so there’s time to play on this end.
Wishing you a prosperous 2016 — and time to balance work with hikes and leisure in the summer!
May 20, 2016 at 9:28 am
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