I usually let the end of the year slip by, thinking that it's best to wait until January to start any new goals. I think part of that was being very busy with organising Christmas and New Year's. This year I'm going out on Christmas Day. I don't know what schedule the others have, so I'm not planning anything. I'll do a nice dinner one day over the holidays, but I'm not going crazy. It's kind of sad, but with adult kids and no grandkids, there isn't any real reason to go crazy.
My goals for the end of the year are to stick to my diet and add more exercise. I've been doing alright on my diet. I've basically cut carbs from my morning and evening meals, I haven't had any sugary foods, and I've stayed away from snack breads. I eat fewer carbs at lunch time, I try to fill up on vegetables and soups! For exercise, I want to start walking more!
The other couple of goals are to really get into my Japanese study, make a habit of studying every day. I want to be able to read, write and interact with people. I hate that when I'm listening to people, I'm wondering if I am understanding them properly. Also, trying to get my ideas or wants across is hard. I stumble around in my mind, looking for the right word or wondering if my word order is right! Japanese is hard, but not impossible to learn. It just takes dedication and having the habit of studying. I'm lucky because I'm immersed in the language every day. Also, I can watch videos in Japanese.
The other goal I've set myself is to read a classic book. There are so many books out there. I have over 6000 books on my Kindle, and I also use an app called Everand. The app costs just over 1000 yen a month (about five pounds), I can save whatever books I want on there. At the moment, I have about 400 books on there. Plus all the physical books I own. I read a lot. I enjoy reading, getting lost in someone else's world for a while is nice. I enjoy nonfiction books as well. I've been reading about Japanese history recently, which is rather fascinating! So I thought a good challenge would be to read a classic book. I haven't decided yet, but either Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre. I might try some of the Christmas classics by Charles Dickens as well. Somehow, I know the basic outline of these books even though I haven't read them.
Those are my goals for the end of the year. I thought about adding more, but decided to keep it simple. I don't want to overwhelm myself. I already feel overwhelmed with this house and garden, I don't want to add the stress of crazy goals when the idea is to help myself!
Cat photos to finish.
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| Just cats having a good life! |
