by Yvonne Hyde on November 25, 2012
What a week! Thanksgiving is a lot of work. I start cleaning a day or two before and then washing the “good dishes” and the matching flatware. Then it takes me a couple of days after Thanksgiving to get all of the linens washed, folded and put away. Do you go through all this? I love it though. Love having my family with me on any day. I do not shop on Black Friday as I don’t enjoy the crowds. My kids love it and are right out there in it. I don’t remember liking this even when I was young. Shopping online is so much more fun. It’s quiet. I’m sitting down and my packages are delivered to my door, no carrying involved! Love it. Now on to my Christmas cards. This has always been a major operation for me, but not anymore. For the last few years I have had the chance to get the entire family in a picture, but not this year. So, instead, I will find a collection of pictures and include a few in my cards, along with the usual letter. So much has happened this year. My first grandchild was born in March, and he’s awesome! And my daughter and son-in-law just informed us that we will have another grandchild next July. How awesome is that? My daughter says she panics a little when she thinks of having two children under age two. We started working on our house in Florida. And we are preparing to sell our dream house that we built only six years ago. My son and his fiance graduated from college. Also my son is getting married on December 29th. I was considering holding my Christmas cards until after that, but I won’t. My friends and family will have to wait until next year for a wedding picture. This next month is going to be a whirlwind. Looking forward to our usual holiday rituals along with all the extras going on. I would love to hear about your holiday rituals. Enjoy this coming month!
by Yvonne Hyde on November 14, 2012
I recently had a discussion with a co-worker who is wrestling with some life changing decisions. The conversation sounded like the same one we’ve had before….a few times. Her husband passed away unexpectedly a short time after I met her and she is unhappy with her life as it is now, but hasn’t made any changes. It’s been a few years since that sad event and still she stays in the same stressful job working very long hours. When we talk, I always ask her what she would like to do. Her eyes light up and she becomes animated when she talks about starting an organic farm or going to Haiti to be a missionary. She’s been to Haiti before and loved it. It’s fun to watch her talk about her dreams and see how excited she becomes, but then the light in her eyes fades as she realizes that she will probably never make a change. She says that she is so busy with her day to day life that she doesn’t have time to even think about which thing she would really like to do and make a decision. All of her energy is spent on setting and reaching short term goals, leaving no time or energy to think about five or ten years from now.
I remember taking a goal setting course once and the speaker talked about the fact that we should have one year, five year, and ten year goals. These goals should be written down and posted somewhere where we see them regularly. And they should be revised annually. Tweeked, really. Your goals should cover several areas of life including: finances, spiritual, academic, physical, and regarding family. You’ve probably heard that your goals should also be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-targeted). I looked online for a goal setting sheet and found one that’s pretty good. Here’s a link to it. Don’t have time to do this? My friend has shown me the importance of taking the time. It is sad to see her go through life so bent and stuck in place. Here’s to you, my friend!
