Ladies, what are your 2017 resolutions?

[Lady Day]

Hello Ladies,

For many, 2016 has been a crap year. I am among those who for many, many reason are glad to see it go. Though, I don't normally subscribe to arbitrary starting dates to change habits, it seems fitting this coming year to really put forth effort in at least some way towards personal transformation.

Things I'm going to do in the coming 2017:
-MUCH less social media
-Dance more
-Find an agent (illustration)
-Buy a lot less
-Write more
-Publish something (self or otherwise)

Okay ladies, what constructive things to you plan on doing this new year?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Lose 10 pounds, not for vanity purposes but because the extra weight is causing my joints to ache.

Clean out the spare room and get rid of at least five years' worth of back issues of the Atlantic Monthly that are heaped in there.

Get my gutters cleaned for the first time in seventeen years.

Get that dying tree cut down that's threaening to fall on my house.

Spend less time in the emergency room which will allow me to...

Get caught up on my hospital bills from 2016.

Not to seethe with impotent rage over matters beyond my immediate control, while channeling that rage into constructive channels for matters that are within my control. (This one, I fear, will be the most difficult unless I give up reading the newspaper. Lately even the comic pages make me mad.)

And yeah, 2016 has truly stunk on multiple levels. I can't remember being gladder to see the back of a year than I am to see the end of 2016.

 

[Lady Day]

Amen, sister.
The impotent rage seething is something I myself need to work on.

 

[sheeplady]

I will be starting a new job in the fall. I am excited. I want to sew a lot in preparation. I need more "vintage inspired" suits and have three bins of suiting fabric so, there you go. I also want to write a lot in preparation.

I want to get rid of my non-vintage wardrobe. Basically all the crap clothes I keep because I don't want to wear my good stuff everyday. I am sick of looking dumpy. Since my husband will be staying in our old house waiting for it to be sold, I plan to pack up all my non-vintage stuff in boxes and move without it. If I am *dying* to have the clothes back, it's in storage. If I live without it for long enough to forget what is in those boxes, I'll donate it. I seem to need safety measures like this.

Finally, I want to work on my posture. It is horrid, mainly from having flat feet and then having surgery on my chest when I had cancer, and for having carried the metaphorical weight of the world since I was far too young. I'm determined to be less hunched. It's gotten to the point where I can't stand pictures of myself it is so bad. It will take a lot of strength training to fix it (been this way since before I was a teen) but dammit, I want this.

 

[TheSwingingBee]

I'm trying to get my health in order this year. Working on a Whole30 to kick things off, but I need to get the inflammation down in my joints and get back to being able to run. Having to be sedentary because my body can't do the things I want it to is driving me crazy.

I would also like to get back to sewing more mid-century outfits again. We moved to a super small town a few years ago and I wanted to try to fit in, but I've been getting further and further away from that and I want to go back to feeling like me again.

I also want to make a point to compliment someone every day of 2017. Go out of my way and see the good in everyone, make sure even on the days that my anxiety keeps me at home I want to find someone online to give a genuine compliment to.

Lastly, I want to work on my relationship with the hubby. We both work a lot and it falls by the wayside more often than I'd like. Date nights, little surprises that kind of thing. He does a lot for me and I want to make sure I make a point of letting him know how much I appreciate all he does.

 

[St. Louis]

Those all sound like wonderful and inspiring ideas, Lady, Lizzie, Sheeplady, and Bee. I perfectly understand the impotent rage. Last year I had become more active in some circles, which shall remain nameless, so that when I awoke on some random Wednesday morning I could at least tell myself that I had done what I could. I think 2017 will see me become even more energetic along similar lines. Perhaps impotent rage will translate into potent ire.

I've also treated myself to a few boxes of beautiful note cards. I decided that I would begin corresponding with friends and loved ones (and relatives, who may not fit into either category neatly) on a regular basis. I'm not giving myself a quota. I just want to keep in better touch with people, and I also want to be conscientious about thanking everyone for every kindness, no matter how small. I also want to invite people to my home in writing, and to acknowledge invitations and hospitality. I think this will do me good, and I hope the recipients will enjoy the notes. I know how lovely it is to have something hand-written in my mailbox at the end of a long, hard day.

One other thing: I very much want to be more active on this board. The Lounge means a great deal to me, and I like the people I've befriended here. I hope to post much more frequently (assuming I have anything worth reading, of course.)

I decided not to make resolutions about my health because that is just the kiss of death for me. I instantly become morose and rebellious about it. My only resolution is to think about how I'm taking care of myself every day (I.e., to try not to live an unexamined life.)

Happy New Year to everyone/

 

[AmateisGal]

Such great stuff here, gals. I admire each and every one of you for the steps you plan to take.

2016 was a crappy year for my little family, too (two ER visits for my hubby, my dad's stroke, my health, etc.) So I was relieved to see the year go.

One thing I always tell myself: you don't need a new year to press the "re-set" button. With my health becoming increasingly worse (I have rheumatoid arthritis), I've had to press the re-set button A LOT. This year, I hope to learn how to accept it on days when I am in bed-ridden, and on the days I am not, to make the most of it. I started exercising again at the tail end of last year and I thoroughly enjoy it. It's not much - I walk on a treadmill with some favorite rock music - but it brings me joy. I would love to lose the weight I've gained back since the RA and menopause conspired against me. That's the goal, but I am also going to try and be very mindful that I have limitations now and to accept that weight loss needs to be not so much for vanity's sake (oh, to be size 8 again!) but for my health - and it may take more time to lose.

As I am a woman of faith, I have also resolved to put God first and everything seems to flow better from there. I want to write more and spend less time on social media.

On New Year's Day, I did something new: I put reminders on my phone. Some will repeat daily, some weekly, some monthly. But each one targets the areas I want to improve. Maybe it's a message that asks, "How are you doing on your exercise and eating?" or "Are you spending too much time on social media?" I have a bad habit of forgetting my best intentions. Ha! So this was a little trick I devised to bring me 'round. So far, I'm really enjoying how it's keeping me on track.

Hope you all have a great 2017!

 

[St. Louis]

What do you write, Amateis?

 

[AmateisGal]

What do you write, Amateis?

I write historical fiction set in America during WW2. I also write articles for history magazines.

 

[Grant Fan]

Mine is to improve my penmanship, I have been working on it using the Spencerian style books. Hopefully in a few months it will be prettier. I will say I love writing with a fountain pen.

 

[St. Louis]

Grant Fan, what kind of a pen are you using? I find that the thinner the nib, the more legible my handwriting. I used to receive very bad grades for my penmanship & have been struggling all my adult life to render it more legible.

 

[Wire9Vintage]

Mine is to spend more time in these forums, get my home together, and fully embrace that "my era" is late 50s/early 60s. That's the style that suits me best, even though I still love all things 20s and 40s, the styles are just good not for my everyday. And I live in an early 50s house--so ...

 

[AmateisGal]

Well, my New Year's resolutions took a serious dive three weeks ago. My husband wants a divorce and it came out of the blue. The last three weeks have been pure hell for not only me, but our 16-yr-old daughter.

Now my 2017 resolution is to just survive the dang year without melting into a puddle of tears.