New Year Resolutions

New school year resolutions, that is. The start of a new school year always feels more like starting over than January does. I love the coming change of seasons and the excitement of meeting a new group of students. With early morning seminary teaching starting again this year, combined with several weeks of post-surgery house confinement, I've had a LOT of time to reflect and plan.

Here's what I've come to realize: I have spent the majority of my adult life pushing myself far too hard. For the most part I've been able to get away with it and even convince myself that I had a balanced life. That does not mean that my resolution is to be a slacker. It does mean, though, that I need to find some ways to maintain real balance rather than the illusion thereof (ooh, that sounds kinda Biblical . . .).

I also realized tonight, while reading Doctrine and Covenants 127 and 128 for Sunday School tomorrow, that we can honestly be joyful no matter what's happening to us. I was struck by how full of optimism Joseph Smith is while he's writing these sections. The verses ring with joy and enthusiasm. And where was Joseph Smith while he was writing said sections? Hiding out somewhere outside of Nauvoo so that people wouldn't kill him. Yeah; he was hiding from killers and wrote these amazing verses as letters to sustain his fellow Saints. I got nothin' to complain about.

So here are some goals for the new school year:

1. Spend more time working from home rather than holing up in my office. For those readers who are not academics, this is going to sound weird, almost like I'm slacking from work. Quite the contrary. What I've learned from having to stay home these past few weeks is that *gasp* I actually can be MORE productive here because I don't have all the interruptions that happen on campus. If I really expect to get some research published, I have to write at home. So the goal is to have at least one day at home, preferably two.

2. No more forgetting to eat. Maybe forgetting isn't the right word; procrastinating is more accurate. I get busy doing something and think, "Hey, I'm kinda hungry. Nah, it can wait." Then I get busy again and forget until hours later, when I'm REALLY hungry. Several consequences: low blood sugar, which leads to crankiness-- and as I've learned this week, serious vertigo-- bad eating choices (hey, when I'm hungry and need food NOW, anything looks good), more expenses for groceries (because I buy junky stuff that I can consume quickly because I'm hungry NOW). I'm going to consciously plan my eating this semester. I've stocked my office with some foods that can be emergency snacks, and I'm planning meals more purposefully.

3. Along with not forgetting to eat, I need to eat BETTER food. Specifically, more fruits and vegetables. Experimenting with more whole grains, too. So far, oatmeal is my favorite breakfast option: I made it almost all the way through the morning without being hungry the other day.

4. Get those stomach muscles stronger! I start Pilates on September 8th. I've always wanted to have strong core muscles, but I figured it wasn't a big priority. You know, I was well, um . . . busy doing other stuff. My doctor says I have to keep my core muscles strong (for me, that means GET them strong) or my bladder could drop. Okay, that's enough motivation for me, thanks!

5. Don't overload my days. A new mantra: One or two and the rest can wait. Since I haven't been able to do a whole lot the past few weeks without being really tired, I'm learning to slow down. Slowing down reminds me how overcrowded I've made my life. I have way more energy now than I've had for months if not years, but I need to use that energy productively and wisely, not manically (is that a word?).

Whew! That's good for now. Really, ultimately, these five goals are about staying focused on what most matters: serving God. I can't do that if I'm physically wiped out. I can't be open to spiritual promptings if all I can think about is where I can get my hands on some chocolate. Or if I'm too exhausted to move, or too frantic about meetings and "to dos" that my mind can't calm down. I need to get back to the "one needful thing" and let anything not needful sit and wait.