check, check, & check!

I often complain about my neverending To Do list, but I’m happy to check ALL of these items off my winter break list! I’ve been binge-watching Vikings but took a break yesterday to walk around the botanic garden in the rain (#2). I don’t like this balmy weather but I do love waking up to a dark apartment and plugging in my pretty Xmas tree. Woke early but stayed in bed for an extra couple of hours this morning (#1), then went for a run in the park (#5), but first drank a cup of eggnog (check #7). I went to the library and got Re Jane (#3), which I meant to read earlier this year after hearing the author interviewed on WNYC; fortunately it came to my attention again when I found this great list of 10 Overlooked Novels by Women of Color in 2015. I fell asleep last night watching Scrooge (1951) so I’m watching it now—in stretchy pants and a t-shirt, which is almost like pajamas (#10). The goal today is to write, so that will satisfy #6. Or I could watch the Poldark marathon on PBS. A friend and I have decided to have a goal-setting session in the next few days, and Chani Nicholas provided some really helpful prompts on her website:

How do I want to feel about my work, relationships, body, spiritual life/relationship with myself?
What old paradigm do I want to outgrow?
What life affirming feeling do I want to grow into?
What bonds am I ready to free myself from?
What guilt, shame and self-doubt can I lay down?
What actions can I take to help my self esteem and quell my self-doubt?
What self-care practices can I give to myself considering the nature of my work?
How can I give that which I want to cultivate?
What do I need to become more sensitive to?
What might I need to have a thicker skin about?

It feels quite luxurious to have several days on the calendar with NOTHING penciled in, but I don’t want to waste the break by doing too much of  #11. It’s all about balance, right? Hope you’re enjoying the holidays!