100 Resolutions: Part Two

On a recent road trip with my girls, inspiration for #72

I’ve had so much feedback on my first 50 resolutions. Some of you think it’s a great idea, others think I’m a bit crazy. I get it, 100 resolutions is a lot, even for those of you who adore a good list (and I know you're out there). The thing is, this isn’t my run-of-the-mill resolutions list. You probably won’t find anything in my 100 resolutions that requires a massive life change. I’m not a runner and I haven’t made running a marathon one of my resolutions, but while training for a marathon is totally doable (or so people tell me), it would require enormous changes and demand a lot of my time. I'm not looking for these kinds of changes this year. Enough is going on in our world for 2013. But opening a savings account dedicated to a vacation with my husband (#34)? I can cross that one off my list with one phone call to my bank. Finishing season two of Mad Men (#12)? Done, just like that.

These 100 resolutions are a new way of framing my goals, projects, and small jobs for the next year. Seen altogether they reflect the kind of life I want to lead, a life where I choose to embrace the good things, smile more, spend more time with people I love, and take care of myself. Making this list is a chance for me to (re)commit to the life I’ve dreamed about. But on their own, these resolutions don’t feel enormous or out of reach. They seem like small, manageable things I can do. They are also flexible, open to interpretation based on the week I decide to tackle them, which is key. Eating more greens (#60) can mean collecting and making some great salad recipes or simply throwing a pile of arugula on my plate with each meal. Whatever.

Sadly, playing more Twister did not make the list. Next time.

So here it is, part two:

50. Find a good way to archive my photos, including some actual photos printed (maybe a photobook?) so that Alyce and Shira can look at them
51. Bake an excellent gluten-free muffin
52. Don’t adopt another cat
53. Meet a new friend
54. Take Matt tobogganing for the first time
55. Host a Hitchcock movie marathon
56. Drink more champagne
57. Take photos of my grandparents
58. Take the girls to a music festival
59. Install shelves in the bathroom
60. Eat more greens
61. Replace nursing bras with something lacy
62. Help Alyce to stop biting her nails
63. Sew a pillow and blanket for Alyce’s pillow and cover stealing Bear
64. Sew a pillow and blanket for something of Shira’s, because, sisters
65. Watch more roller derby
66. Find a good Sunday market in Toronto
67. See more stars
68. Say “no” more
69. Create more things with my hands
70. Try to make it through one week without sugar (baby steps, yes?)
71. Make homemade valentines with Alyce for her school friends again this year
72. Take more small road trips, with and without children
73. Discover the best dancing music
74. Try out some new time management tips and see what works best
75. Climb a tree
76. Feed the birds
77. Convince my stepmother to come out for a crazy weekend in Toronto
78. Write a choose your-own-adventure story for Alyce, with Lucy the cat as the heroine of the story
79. Go to the dentist (I had to include this twice because I dread it so severely that I need extra prompting)
80. Find a favourite dress
81. Plant parsley for Tu B’Shevat in preparation for Passover
82. Be easier on those I love
83. Grow my hair
84. Make a better tomato sauce
85. Eat more seasonally
86. Two words: wax eyebrows
87. Make lunches the night before
88. Ask great questions
89. Surround myself with good people
90. Buy a t-shirt that isn’t black
91. Buy a t-shirt that isn’t v-neck
92. Think before baking more cookies
93. Pet a goat
94. Hang more art on the walls
95. Create a better storage system for my sewing/knitting projects
96. Have more friends over for Shabbat dinners
97. Take the girls outside more
98. Read more great writing
100. Run a marathon
100. Enjoy another year

Do you have a list? Want to share?