Emancipation Birthday

Looking at pictures MsABCMom posted on her blog, I was struck with the passage of time. I realized that after my youngest child graduates from law school in June and takes the bar exam in July, a monumental change will take place in my life. For the first time in 37 years, that is, for the first time in my adult life, a major chunk of my monthly earnings will not be allocated to raising children or paying for their college expenses. Please understand that in no way do I wish to be emotionally emancipated from my three wonderful children and amazing granddaughter, but financial independence will be nice. It also signals an opportunity to look at some goals for the coming year.

Work:
For too long I have identified who I am with what I do. For next year I need to plan how I can cut back to full-time work and cut back on club advising. I need to find a way to do the job without spending most nights and most of my week ends grading papers and worrying about lesson planning. I want to keep the energy and enthusiasm for work without letting it dominate all else.

The Body:
Yes, it does need some work. That means I need to decrease what I eat and increase how often I work out.

The Spirit:
I haven’t figured this one out yet, but it includes some fun, some travel, some music, some personal growth, and, I am hoping, new opportunities at my place of worship.

Family:
Continue to enjoy every moment I have with my children and grandchildren, spend more time with my mother, keep in touch with my sister and family, as well as my cousins. Hopefully, take a trip back east to see the cousins.

The Mind:
Include a few more non-fiction books among the fiction I read, spend some time on re-acquiring Norwegian and perhaps study Hebrew, consider whether I want to take that final stab at a masters in Spanish or E.L.D.

Tikkun Olam:
Think of a meaningful way to engage in “healing the world” through some volunteer activities.

Accountability:
Re-read this journal periodically during the year to see if I’m working on the goals