12 Goals For This Year

I am now graduated from college and with that in mind I am trying to learn some things to do to be less reactive and to continue to be driven in this general ways of love, kindness, humility, and to be driven to enjoy the things of life but also be responsible and respectful. With that in mind I have 12 goals for 2018. Brief description of a couple sentences when warranted:
1. Explore more of Idaho: I will do this with my hiking trips but the areas I know are what I'm comfortable with. I look forward to branching out on hiking and maybe doing short trips to places besides Sun Valley and McCall because those two places I am at a lot and I want to see more of the beautiful state.
2. Stay around 210 pounds or less: In 2017 I tipped the scales at 235 pounds in March due to overeating due to stress and due to bad diet often. Shortly after I started my meal plan and am currently under 200 with my maintenance plan and summers I am giving a bit of leeway on weight especially if I lift a bit but there it is. 210 or under in 2018. year-round!
3. Dance at least a couple times a week: I feel so much more free and with the Y close by and a few dance workout videos there really is no excuse to not do that.
4. Go to more events of things I love and am passionate about: I go to plenty of activism events as far as marches and rallies but would like to go to more speeches, art items, exhibits, museums, and plays in the community as well as concerts I have many passions and live in a centralized area but due to cost and time management I would like to search for free events or look on Stalkerbook for ideas of events to go to and support.
5. Yoga at least once a week: For relaxation, preternatural calm, getting the week started off on the right foot, and for physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental health. Also therapist recommended on a couple of levels.
6. Read at least 100 books in a year: Always a goal since 2014 and I've always done that since then. Always.
7. Gym therapy 3 times a week unless out of town: For care for my knees and ankles.
8. Art of some sort a couple times a week and volunteering at least once a week: For general emotional and mental health.
9. Be able to work on budgeting: Constant struggle but better with my limits on coffee and next up is limits on groceries. I have done reasonable on eating out however.
10. Leadership and next steps from graduation to real life: I think every graduate from college who wants to change the world needs to do that.
11. Keep my solid friends and not spend time with people who are false friends: I think I can discern this by trusting my gut. I am constantly reminded who my real friends are and who are just using me a lot more. But seriously no one will ever replace my squad.
12. Dream better and have legitimate eating/social media cutoffs: I have so many weird stress dreams and horses going into the night (nightmares). I think part of this is having electronics on and eating late. My two goals to kind of piggy back off of this is to have my last dinner/or snack by 8:30 PM most nights no electronics past 9:30 and to let my phone charge around that time and to drink tea and meditate every night. If I do that, journal, and read during the time I otherwise would be on social media and seeing friends I would do some much better and be much healthier overall. I am a rule follower and if I do that and stick to it I will be much happier.
These are some of my goals and ideas for making the world and my own life much better. There will be so much happiness and hope for many others. Should be a great year!

2017 The Year That Was

Some of the best things happened to me in 2017 despite the lack of positive political climate- I graduated college with a B average and a 3.45 in my Major, I enjoyed living by myself most of the time throughout the year and have kept the possibility of manic episodes and anxiety attacks largely at bay, I have not only won 5 gold medals but also the hearts of countless coaches and athletes as a newly minted individual sports champion who used to do team sports primarily and also found time to do a few fun runs including 2 in 2 days, I have read over 100 books for the 3rd straight year in a row, I have continued to make financial gains by limiting my coffee out and meal out intake as well as keep my checking account debt-free since March despite moving at that time, I have continued to make waves as not only a LGBT advocate and a disability rights advocate to the point of being nominated for an award for my efforts but also a continuing up-and-coming environmental rights advocate and an advocate for the homeless and poor. Not only these things but also in the face of all these things happening I have lost 40 pounds despite having restaurants, coffee shops, gas stations, Albertsons', DK donuts, and Fanci Freeze all within a very brief walking distance away. I have resigned from being a REC Center regular on my own terms and have continued to get more time doing classes at Fort Boise and items with Boise Parks And Recreation as well as a pass for Sage Yoga and the YMCA which has been positive overall. I have continued to be the best cradle Presbyterian I can be but also have had time with my friends of all sorts of political bents and have had hard conversations with many people. I have also enjoyed having great friends as neighbors and that has continued to make me happy and passionate about being where I am in addition to the purple, green, and blue walls and the ability to make this place my own. Yes Trump is making the world a bit of a wasteland and the other world leaders are not helping and yes some of the people who are in my life have left and there has been some intense conversations with how things should be however I can bask in the glory that I don't drive a car but have driven a boat three different places, am just as enthralled by Star Wars, Wonder Woman, or Jumanji as I am Wonderstruck, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Patch Adams, Finding Forrester, or Free Willy. I have been making myself keep honoring my fallen heroes by doing what would make them happy such as through helping others and been spiritually disciplined in honor of my Grandma who died on the same day I graduated three years to the day, by continuing to get things crossed off of my To-Do-Before-I-Die-List and only have several things to do in honor of Sam Harmer as well as doing all the things I set out to do in Summer and in my college career, and Bob Hamilton I have honored by finishing my degree at Boise State and continuing to speak out for all the things that mattered to him- fervency, activism, faith, sports, and fellowship. I have also gotten to take in a couple of minor-league baseball games, a couple of women's soccer games (one professional and one college), a gymnastics meet, a volleyball game, a softball game, bits and pieces of a few club frisbee games, and have also done sports well: yoga, my first distance swimming races in years, snowshoeing, a variety of Y classes, several races, and dancing as well as bootcamp and my fall P.E. class and Core De Force. I might be emphasizing what I've done too much but I have seen happiness in others in my family by what they have accomplished in the year, by my friends for their hopefulness, and have continued to see a much brighter future in my friends lives' as well. To wrap it up I have a couple of things: 1) I'm a freak and there is nothing wrong with that- my unique approach is one of my best qualities as well as my heart and 2) my medical maintenance with yoga, exercise bike/eliptical, massage, chiropractor, accupuncture, and dancing has been a great thing as well. May 2018 bring many adventures and much joy and I am lucky that I made it through 2017 unscathed.