A List of 50

Oh yes, 50.  Fifty.  F. I. F. T. Y.

Fifty things I would like to accomplish this year.

You know....not necessarily personal resolutions but nice to do things.  Not necessarily goals...but, well, nice to do things.  Adventurous things. Discovery things. Scary things.  Life changing things. Creative things.  Out of the box actions.

The first and the biggest...

1. To write each and every day.  EACH and EVERY Day. Joining in on the 500 word project.

2. Do a photography project.  I just need to define if that will be the 352 days, a 52 week, or just a 12 month thingy.  Just saying it, I've already eliminated the 12 month...unless I make it a thematic monthly thingy. Of course, since it is already the 4th...I've missed 4 days of the 352...no because I took one on New Years Day. So it would just have to go into 2015 of course.  I'm going to give myself 48 hours to decide and of course, if any one has any fun suggestions...I would love to hear them.

3. Create my own personal greeting cards this year. No more store bought.  I purchased a professional photo printer and I will put it to use.

4. Do some type of volunteer work. I will take the month of January to figure out where and what that will be with a goal to get started in February. A lot of life changing plans in February. 

5. Join a bird watching club.  I miss my Texas birding.

6. Physically talk to my kids more often..you know..disconnect from facebook and texting chats. Our lives are crazy and being far apart...none of it is a good excuse any longer.

7. Sell my current house to get into a more economical one for myself.

8. To adopt a yellow tabby cat..once in a new home.

9. Read more.  More than just my photography stuff, creative stuff.  Some good novels of sort again to include some of the older classics that I didn't get into during those youthful years.

10. To find a spiritual organization that I can attend again a bit more regularly.  It's been a while.

11. To hike more this year.  I did very little last year which just isn't like me.

12. To work out at my gym at least 12 times a month. My employment health insurance will reimburse me part of the fees if I do and it definitely makes me feel better.

13. Work out a fourth day of the week at home..if not even a fifth...because I know three times a week doesn't change anything....at this age.

14. Do a daily five gratitude list.

15. Learn more vocabulary which in the end might make my writing a bit more interesting.

16. Find my more upbeat self again.  I know it is in there.  I know. 

17. Pray more often..outside of my normal daily anguish begging for assistance. You know...thankful prayers.

18. A monthly photography shoot expedition..whether it be a one day or a weekend travel stay.

19. Purchase a small lap top that I can travel with for my writing.

20. Figure out my off camera flash issue before I have my first wedding shoot of the year. 

21. Find and follow some inspirational bloggers.

22. Improve my landscape photography.

23. Pay it forward once a month at least.

24. Replace the shower head in the upstairs bathroom to make it more saleable.

25. Paint the back den and make it a sort of picture studio of my work for now, also to assist in making the house more saleable.

26. Spend Christmas and maybe even New Years with my children in Houston. 

27. Find the proper venue to sell some of my photography.

28. To go out more.  Socially.  Somehow. Somewhere.

29. To chat with my best friend Becky in Houston at least once a month.

30. Sell my Tom Clark Gnomes that are just sitting in boxes in the closet.

31. Make a photography book.

32. De clutter by having a rummage sale this year when it gets warmer.

33. Cook more...creatively.

34. A trip to see my brother in Ohio.

35. A trip to see my sister in Missouri.

36. Do all in my power to make a good family reunion happen again this year.

37. Include my mom on whatever trips I can this year.

38. Visit mom at least once a week...after all she's within walking distance.

39. A movie a month. At the theatre.

40. Chat with my wonderful neighbor on a more regular basis.

41. Attend the Horicon Bird Festival..an annual event for me.

42. Attend the Whooping Crane Festival this year.

43. Attend more fun festival things this year.

44. Learn something new.  Humm...need to figure out what that would be.

45. Make a 2014 wall calendar..better get started on this one!!

46. Make a 2015 wall calendar for friends and family by end of this year.

47. Some type of personalized photography project for someone special.

48. Do more on Capture Wisconsin

49. Be more prepared for my spring and fall photography contests.

50. Make a schedule and stick to it to be sure all these things happen.

51. After all this, you would think I should include the feat of blogging more regularly but maybe that comes under the one to do with writing more often...although my intent for this is to actually make my blog better, more attractive, more organized to capture the attention of followers that might like to comment and communicate.

52. Which means I need to follow bloggers more and comment and participate.

53. Fix my relationship issue...although listed last...I know that first and foremost...this must be resolved.

Oh (Yes, I know that is more than 50...and initially I thought I was going to have a difficult time coming up with 10.

heck...let's go with 56

54. Work on my budgetary goals in order to hopefully allow me to retire in ten years or less.

55.  This is  the silliest most difficult one of all which really disturbs me..decrease or eliminate my one really addictive behavior...coffee...creamer...both. Really where is my will power.

56.  Yep...I'm sure I'll come up with it.  Of Course....get back to the thing I love in addiiton to my writing and photography....Gardening.

So now, I have to thank Clouds in my coffee...for this awesome idea of a list which really does differ from a resolution list.  Very few if any of these things should be a far reach to complete.  I only wish I were only 38.

( I believe this is the first post I have done in quite some time that hasn't started with a photograph. Now that's new...and leaves me feeling kind of empty.)

...and then I had to get rid of the emptiness and added a a photo...it just wouldn't have been me otherwise.

(smiling)