Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Goals For The New Year

I'm not really big on making resolutions. Not that I'm perfect, far from it, but I do have some goals I'd like to stick with this year.

1) Go to the gym at least 5 days a week. This wouldn't normally be on the list, but this month (December) has been so hectic, I feel like I've gotten off of my normal schedule, and I really need to make the effort in January to get back to normal. Of course, with a launch in February, this might be difficult to really get back to "normal" until mid-March, but hey, that's why it's a goal, right?

2) Have more patience with people. Since moving out of the College Park area and into Northern Virginia, I've found that there are a lot of dumb people in the world. There are a lot more in the real world than there are on a college campus. I need to be more patient with people in general. Not everybody needs to have their driver's license revoked because they're going 45 mph in the slow lane. Not every large family in the grocery store is being purely evil when they block you and your cart from going through an aisle. Maybe they just don't know they're being very obtrusive.

3) Relax a bit more. I used to meditate regularly, and I'd like to get back to that. Maybe I'll do some yoga, or at least some gentle stretching, either in the morning or at night. I have a feeling that this goal might help with goal #2.

4) Post my pictures onto eHarmony and do something with it. I guess this is self-explanatory. I didn't find "the one" in college, but I'm more than ready to get back onto the dating scene.

5) Figure out why even after surgery in December, my hand still hurts--and either come to terms with the pain or finally make it all go away. This is my biggest goal, as right now, it frustrates me on a daily basis. I know I'm only 3.5 weeks post-op, and that I need to give it time, but at the same point, I'm finding things that hurt before surgery still hurt now, and maybe it's just because of the Ehlers-Danlos and I need to accept it. But at this point in my life, I'm already fairly limited in the things I can do, and if I can reduce further limitations, that would be wonderful.

6) Drink more tea and water. I've actually been doing this for the last 2 months or so, but I want to keep it up. The only times I seem to have soda now is when I'm drinking mixed drinks. I'd like to keep it that way, tea and water are better for me than soda. I doubt I'll be giving up my coffee, but after my 20 oz. cup in the morning, I think I can move to tea and water.

7) Take more photos. I have one camera that's my "in-between" step between a digital point-and-shoot and a DSLR, and I really should be shooting more than I am. Other than when I go out sailing, my camera is neglected more than it should be. I have thoughts on getting a LX3, and between that and my Olympus, I should be shooting more.

So that's that. If I remember, I'll try to post in early February and see how these things are going. :)

2 comments:

Chad said...

Good luck with the resolutions. I've been trying to be more relaxed and patient in general, but it's hard. I think exercise helps - I'm too tired to be angry.

BubbleGirl said...

Hi, I just came across your blog, and I just though I'd try to offer tips I've received since I was diagnosed with EDS.

#1) Surgery to repair tendon/ligament damage RARELY works on us, the sucess rate is so low that in Canada they won't do it unless it's an emergency... Like you dislocate something to the point the bone sticks through your skin.

#2)Physiotherapy is highly recommended to strengthen your stabilizing muscles, which takes some of the strain off of your connective tissues. Keeping active is also highly recommended, but you have to listen to your body. (I used to ride my bike all the time, but after I started subluxing my hips on a regular basis, just sitting on a bike feels extremely painful)

#3) Most doctors don't know very much about EDS, so find one that does, or attempt to educate them. Printing information from sites like the Ehlers-Danlos National Foundation, and taking it to your doctor is a good way to start.

Aside from that, I wish you the best of luck with your surgeries, and I hope you recover fully.