Happy New Year!

(I typed this up last night, but didn't get around to posting it here)

It's been an amazing year. A really hard year. It's weird to remember that at the start of this year I was still hip-deep in the school, and expecting to remain so for years to come. To remember the weeks and months of hibernation and recovery. My awesome, exciting road trip. Settling back into homeschooling, reconnecting with and making even more local friends. Getting more politically active again. And, more recently, there have been a couple different changes in my life that I'm not ready to talk much about, yet, but that are definitely shaping my personal narrative.

Most of my New Year's thoughts are the usual:
* improve at sticking to my daily routines (portions of them are listed here(
* make progress/refocus on my 101/1001 list (listed here)
* make progress/refocus on my core competence list/program (I'll probably write more about this later today)
* refocus on my core values (which I'm doing by listing about 40 good habits I'd like to start or restart and focus on one habit or action a week) (and, again, I'll probably post more about this later today)
* balance and breathe -- I don't have to be productive every minute of every day, it's okay to just *be*.

I get a little better at all these things every year. I like making progress, seeing the progress I've made in the past, knowing it's not all-or-nothing. I like re-examining my life, my choices, a couple times a year.

This afternoon I'm making challah bread, stuffed mushrooms, sloppy lentils, potato salad, all our favorite comfort foods. We're watching the Burn Notice marathon, doing some pleasant housework, and settling in for the duration. Have a happy New Year, everybody!