I was in the bathroom at Outback last night (bear with me, this post will be neither gross nor fully centered in a restroom), and a thought came to me: I am not stressed at all. I don’t have to worry about getting anything done on a schedule; I don’t have people stress from relationships or students (or at least not any above the minimum of normal human interaction); I don’t have syllabi to write or papers to grade. I have absolutely nothing that I HAVE to do, and IT FEELS AMAZING.
I can’t remember the last time I felt this way – childhood probably. For years, I’ve lived with the stress (self-imposed for the most part) of too much to do in too little time. Now, I have all the time in the world, so much I’d like to do, and no schedule by which I must do it. Wow. This feels great. I walked out of the bathroom last night with a little wiggle in my walk. Woo hoo.
Here are the things I’d like to do in the New Year, no resolutions, no promises, just things I’d like.
1. Write a draft and revise my first book.
2. Travel to visit my good friends.
3. Purge my belongings down to the bare minimum of what I need to live.
4. Go to a self-storage auction.
5. Get myself eating and exercising in a way that I can maintain for life.
6. Read A LOT.
7. Sew A LOT.
8. Plant and Maintain my mom’s garden.
9. Hike and walk lovely trails.
10. Relax.
What’s on your “I’d Like to Do This” list for 2011?