The New Life Plan!

Self-determination.  Participation.  Discipline.  Travel. 

SHORT TERM (within 3 years)

Learn Spanish  I am sleeping with my own personal language tutor and why on earth am I not utilizing him?   This is just stupid.

Learn Photoshop  I made the header for this blog and though it is not perfect and is something that my 14-year-old niece could have done in 5 minutes back when she was 10, it was fun and I am proud of myself.  And I want to be prouder. 

Learn my camera and take more pictures  I splurged for my Nikon when we had no money and it took me 2 months to pick up the instructions and figure out how to take pictures without the flash automatically popping up.  Again, why?  This is just stupid.  I'd also like to find a mentor or take a class to get constructive feedback.

Do some form of exercise/yoga/movement thing to get in my body more  It makes no sense that this is so hard to do when it makes me feel so good.  But I have got to find something that I enjoy and will do at least a few times a week.  It's not about losing weight, but heart health (I don't have such good genes there) and feeling grounded and strong.

Get better with the cooking/eating  I've made lots of positive changes to my diet over the last few years--incorporating local/seasonal/nonprocessed as well as keeping weight down/feeling good elements--but it still needs much tweaking.  (For one thing, I eat way too much bread.)  Plus, I am not as comfortable in the kitchen with the know-how as I would like to be. 

Get a job  I really need one of these.  Money is useful for living.  But also, as I am terrified of losing my very soul I have so many issues around work I need to face it.  The only way out is through.

Rehaul resume  This should probably come before "Get a job", but as it is sort of a cause and effect thing, whatever.  I have been dreading this.  I need to focus on those skills that I want to promote and use, while de-emphasizing those that make me vomit, so that I can be open to new possibilities and not feel doomed to accept whatever comes along.  My Love has promised to help with this which is good, because I desperately need outside perspective.

Extended solo trip to UK  Solo partly because the Isles are not top on my love's list, but mostly because I want to do it on my own.  I have been all over the U.S., to Japan, Canada, Cuba, and Honduras--but always with a companion.  Not only do I want to prove to myself that I can go it alone, but I want to experience that wonderful feeling of being able to do what I want, when I want without having to accommodate someone else.  I am a hopeless anglophile and I've always wanted to go.  I'd especially like to do one of those multi-day walks like Hadrian's Wall.  Am making this a priority once I have some money saved.

Keep blogging  This has been good for me so far, and I promised myself I'd keep at it and expand. (i.e. use more pictures, add a blogroll, etc.)

LONG TERM (4 - 10 years)

Learn French in Quebec  French is actually my first love, I just adore the sound of it.  Spanish is more practical for a host of reasons, but eventually I want to get back to French to.  And I've always wanted to go to Quebec.

Extended RTW trip with my Love   After he graduates from vet school, we want to take a year or so to travel.  On the list: Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argetina, Peru, Columbia, Brazil, Panama, Ecuador, Guatamala, Mexico, Quebec, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy......

Buy property in tropical area   Our ideal is to live on a small farm somewhere tropical in a little house made of stucco and Spanish tile with papaya trees in the yard.  If politics ever change enough in Cuba, that would be first choice.  If not, somewhere like Honduras or Panama.

All images are either mine (please don't take them without permission) or came from my new favorite thing Old Book Art.

Comments

[Vextasy]

Stacia,
If you do decide to come to the UK and walk one of the long distance footpaths you should consider the one called the "Coast to Coast" which runs from the west to the east coast of England crossing the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It really is a beautiful walk (and not as bleak as those names make it sound). Contact me if you'd like some more information about it.

I walked it (well half of it) late last year when I found I needed time and space to think about things and I have to say it was one of the most refreshing things I've ever done. I wrote a bit about it here: http://vextasy.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/lessons-learned-from-the-coast-to-coast-walk/ .

Waking each morning and knowing that the only thing I really had to think about that day was how I was going to get from A to B was so therapeutic.

Do you know which part of the UK your distant relatives came from? If it was the north of England you might find you'd be walking close to home.

[Stacia]

Thanks for the tip(s)! Your post was great - it's good to read tips from someone who's actually done it, especially since I don't do much hiking and the one overnighter I did was not a fun time. And therapeutic is exactly what I envisioned too, so I'm glad to know it worked out that way for you.

I don't know where my peeps hail from. That's something I wanted to look into more before I went over there. I'll probably have time as I think it will be at least a couple of years.......

[Kate]

Hola Stacia I just dropped by to have a look at what you are doing and read your goals for the future - love it! I have just started trying to talk in castellano every day with my live in personal tutor - why is it so hard to do? He speaks english with me - I should be more disciplined. And all your dreams are so do-able. I like to write mine down with some for 10 years, some for 5 years, going down to the ones for this week. this makes me actually do things like go for a run and read my camera instructions. for years I had a goal of 'live in another country' and 'find a lover who is funny and intelligent and loves me' BOth now achieved - so it is possible. Good luck, Kate x