Resolutions Past

In 2007 I made the first New Year's Resolutions of my adulthood. I found them to be great motivators and they provided me with focus. Granted, a few of the resolutions were vague and sort of fell by the wayside, but I largely felt the experience was beneficial.

I continued the tradition in 2008 and made the resolution to cook at least 3 new recipes each month. Paul had agreed to be a part of it, but as it turns out he wasn't really that interested when the time came to plan, shop and cook. I was fine with going solo, so over the past year I have been making tons of new recipes and, in the process, feel more comfortable making up my own dishes, deviating from recipes and have broadened my knowledge and use of spices.

Luckily Paul WAS interested in eating new foods, so I shared them with him and with friends and family. Many of the recipes I tried throughout the year have become new go-to favorites of our house. I also realized this year how good soup can be. Soup made from scratch tastes infinitely better than soup from a can! I received an immersion blender from my mom and Roger this Christmas, so I foresee making many batches of soup in the future!

The other component of the 2008 resolutions was that Paul and I declared it to be The Year of Honesty in our home. I wrote at the beginning of the year what that meant in terms of possessions and knitting, but that declaration came to mean something totally different towards the latter part of the year. After our move from Boston to Minneapolis and the subsequent uphill and still in progress job search, we needed to be honest about what our true needs are. Together we have tackled the concepts of "need" vs. "want", evaluated the careful balance between money-making and mental health, and have questioned many of our assumptions and perspectives about our place in the world. When we get down to it, the honest truth is that our needs are being met, but we both have many desires that are not. We have come to the conclusion that we can exist how we are right now, but we are both eager for the growth we were seeking when we planned our move. The latter part of the year has been full of love and at the same time it has been a bit harsh to us. I guess, if we are honest, that is what life is, isn't it? We struggle, but if we are lucky, we are loved and we get through it with eyes set on bigger goals.