THURSDAY THOUGHTS - My Life in 100 Pages

I accomplished a goal today - I finally printed out a hard copy of my Thursday Update (n/k/a Thursday Thoughts) emails. I began them in May 2004 and stopped their email form at the end of November 2006. A year and a half of my life printed out in nearly 100 two-sided pieces of paper. Wow!

I immediately read my first email after Pam's death and it brought back a lot of memories and emotion for me. I'm feeling okay with that, seems like memories and emotions have been a significant part of my life the past few weeks. Maybe it's the time of year with all of the holidays coming up when all of us would be getting together and it just reminds me that we are missing someone - things just don't feel quite right anymore.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of my Updates though. It's always very fun to look back on life in such detail. I see a lot of the same goals year after year and now it's almost 2008 and I realize that I've failed miserably in some of the goals that are most important to me. Number 1 is eating healthier and getting more exercise. My friend Sherry recently pointed out that this has been a consistent goal of mine, but one that keeps getting pushed aside for others. I need to make a change. I keep thinking of my brother Paul who started training for a duathalon this past spring. Having never trained for such an event he suffered through a lot of aches and pains, sweat, rain and winds, but he stuck to it and superbly met his goal by competing in two duathalons and finishing both of them. What an inspiration!

If you know me well you know that I'm a very goal oriented person. I think writing one's goals down is a crucial step in achieving them. It would be common to make some resolutions on New Year's Eve but goals change based on circumstances, not the calendar. So, today, I am rewriting my goals.

1. Exercise and eat healthier. No more indulging in treats that have been brought into the office. No more excessive crap eating.
2. Purchase a Nikon D80 camera ASAP and no later than April 1, 2008 (anyone care to donate to the cause? LOL!)
3. Get on a manufacturer's design team. I am targeting Scenic Route and Rusty Pickle. I am preparing a specific method for achieving this, one of which is to use these products as much as possible. If you have any advice, please share.
4. Continue writing my novel. My long-term goal is to have this completed within 5 years.

I am running down the course that I have set for myself determined to cross the finish line. No more excuses.