19 for 2019

Mile Marker 7000:

It's New Year's Eve and I can't sleep.

Actually, it's 3 A.M.  The fireworks are finished, my friends have gone home, and the streets below my windows are eerily silent.  Yet I'm wide awake, restless, pacing around the apartment with my leg still on.

Why?

I'm not ready to give up the old year.

2018 was just TOO GOOD.  It defined me in new ways and took me in new directions.  Robot Mom.  Team USA Paraclimber.  Peer Mentor Coordinator.  The entire year was like walking a glorious tightrope between adrenaline and exhaustion.

2018 is a tough act to follow.

Grumpy Pumpkin, I feel your pain.

In other news... I've just hit Mile 7,000.  Or at least I think I have.  My faithful old Fitbit is down for the count.

Not the best sign for a new start. 

Most years, I can't wait for January 1st.  I love any excuse for a do-over!  But here -- at Mile 7,000 (give or take a few) -- I don't want to build a new year from scratch.  I liked the old year just fine, thanks.

So to get into the New Year spirit -- and kick off the next thousand miles or so -- I'm swiping an idea from one of my favorite podcasts, Happier.

It's called "19 for 2019."

19 things you plan to do in 2019.  Big steps, small steps, and the many steps in between.

More exciting than a To-Do List.
More practical than a Bucket List.
Easier to keep than a New Year's Resolution.

It's like a pep-rally of possibilities for the new year.

I feel better already.  Yay, 2019!

OK, here's mine --

19 for 2019:

1.   Fix the Fitbit or get a new one.  (Bonus: I can check something off the list right away!)

2.  Make time for friends I haven't seen in a while.  You know how we always say we'll get together?

This year we will!

3.  Keep taking early morning walks.

That's when the magic happens.

4.  Be a tourist in my own neighborhood.  Visit every museum within walking distance.  And then go farther.

5.   And even farther.  Go far enough to get a new stamp in my passport!

6.   Do more for the causes I care about - like helmet safety and healing gardens, adaptive sports...

...and future first responders.

7.   Host more parties.  Bring friends together to eat in and eat out.  Celebrate for big reasons (50th birthdays!) and small ones.

Happy National Soup Month!

8.  Do something new to help the earth.   Join urban composting.  (I hear it's easy, even in an apartment!)

And continue the effort from 2018 -
using less paper!

9.   Curate (and clean) my closet.  Find homes for all the shoes I can't walk in.  Anyone out there a size 6?

10.  Get out of the city.  Camp in a tent.  Be in nature.  Walk, hike, and climb.  Go with friends who know what they're doing.

In case it's as treacherous as Mile 1,414!

11.  Conquer my fear and learn to DYNO, like this...

…except with a robot leg  :)

12.  Also... spend more time on the couch.

13.  Write.  A lot.  Just do it.

14.  Figure out the features of my new Surface Pro.  (Hello, Geek Squad??)

15.  Create in new ways.  Maybe even take an art class!

I mean, beyond paint & pottery! 

16.  Bring back Cookie Apocalypse -- and other (non-angry) reasons to bake.

Share recipes too --
like Almond Flour Snickerdoodles!

17.  Stay connected through social media.  Maybe even launch a Twitter account.  (I hear it's good for writers??)

18.  Read outside my comfort zone.  Start a "new genre" book club.  (Next up -- Mysteries!)  I'll post a link so you can read along!

Inspo from Inkwood Books!

19.  Be grateful for each step, and stay true to my inner compass.  (That's a 2-in-1, but it's gotten me this far!)

As always, appreciate every HEALTHY day.

In case you're wondering, on New Year's Eve, I did fall asleep eventually.

And, as my friend Donna so thoughtfully reminded me the next day, "It was already 2019 at midnight."

So much for 3 A.M.

Welcome January 1st!

Up and at 'em, Baby New Year.  Stay on your toes.

You've got big shoes to fill.

Happy New Year!  What's in your '19??