It’s that time again! I absolutely LOVE New Year’s Resolutions – something about taking a step back each year and evaluating the way you live your life is very powerful to me. I did pretty well with my resolutions from 2011: loving gin & tonics now, finishing my first book, calling my legislators and getting up to running a 5K distance, but here’s where I think I can improve in the next 365 days:

MIND: Remove the Distractions
MBH and I have a terrible habit of eating dinner in front of Jeopardy nearly every week night. We always have the best time when we eat dinner out, and we connect each night when we take Lola for her walks, but one of my 2012 goals is for us to eat dinner like adults: at a table, without the TV.

We’ve become more selective in the TV shows we’re watching (goodbye Glee!) and the other night, when there was “nothing on,” MBH suggested actually turning it off (gasp!) and accomplishing things together on our to-do list. It felt great to go to bed knowing the house was spotless, luggage from our trips was put away and I even got a head start on making homemade peanut butter fudge for my coworkers.

The last thing is one of MBH’s biggest pet peeves: the amount of time I spend on my phone. I read the New York Times every morning in bed, I check Facebook and Pinterest constantly, and I’m always texting. And that’s on top of the time I spend glued to a computer during the workweek. So I hope to start with baby steps – leaving the phone in my purse in the evenings instead of in use, in my lap.

BODY: Run a 5K AND a Half-Marathon
Running a 5K returns to the list yet again… but this time, I think I’ll actually be able to complete it by early April! I can technically run a 5K distance now – although I’d like to have my running abilities up to 5 miles before I attempt one. I’m also upping the ante for myself, and hoping to run a half-marathon by the end of the year. Let’s see how many years this makes the list!

SPIRIT: Volunteer
I go to an amazing yoga class that challenges the way I think each Tuesday and Thursday evening and one of the big things I’ve been thinking about is how I can better affect the change I want to see in the world. I’d been toying with the idea of attending the Humane Society’s Humane Lobbying Day in our state capitol this January, but then I decided to take a step back and start at home. I’ve taken a small step (again) in reaching out to the Norfolk SPCA (one of our area’s very few no-kill shelters) and will see where that leads!

CAREER: Revise & Write
I’ve finished writing my first novel and am actively seeking an agent. I’m also hard at work on the second novel and learning more and more about the publishing business each day. For the first part of 2012, my goal is to take a step back with the first and focus on polishing, revising and taking another look at making it as marketable as it can be and finding a solid critique group, while finishing up the second, and then mapping out and beginning the third.