Each passing minute is another opportunity to turn it all around
The heading of this blog is one of my favourite inspirational quotes from the movie Vanilla Sky; an adage can be used for almost anything you wish to accomplish in your life. Earlier this year I made a very professional-looking spreadsheet detailing what I wished to accomplish this year. We are nearly halfway through the year, so let’s have a look to see how far I have come, shall we?
1. Set up an annuity fund. I am glad to say that I have actually looked into this and have decided that it will have to be postponed until I received my promised raise. Contrary to popular belief the economic recession actually does influence poor, struggling wordsmiths as well.
2. Start saving for December Europe Trip (R1000/month). This lovely idea, I am sad to say, have also been put on the ice – indefinitely. Currently I am battling to maintain a healthy diet towards the end of the month and there is really no use in turning Maslow’s hierarchy of needs topsy-turvy.
3. Start and maintain the garden. I scavenged some mint from my mother’s garden and replanted it in ours. Does this count?
4. Join a pottery class. See previous entry about the economic recession, Maslow et al.
5. Join a book club. I joined the library. Does this count?
6. Start and maintain a journal. I’ve come to realise that no matter HOW much you love writing, if you do it for a living you really don’t want to go home and start doing it all over again.
7. Get rid of all the clothes I’ll never wear again and buy two good items of clothing per month. See the bit about the economic recession once more.
8. Quit smoking. (*** insert very deep blush***) Jikes, haven’t quite gotten round to this bit yet. I know, I know, it stinks, it’s expensive, it’s bad for my health, it ill befits a lady. Try telling me this when I have a glass of chardonnay in my hand.
9. Start painting/drawing. Oh yay! One thing I did actually do something about. My friend Rouve and I started hosting weekly art evenings. For ourselves, but still. We go to the library on Mondays, get books on interesting artists/art movements/art techniques we like and then proceed to discuss them on Wednesday evenings. After this we spread out large pieces of paper of her dining room table and surround ourselves with a slew of art paraphernalia (glue, water colour, pastels, pencils, gouache, etc.). The plan is actually to start painting at some point, but at this stage we are having so much fun just messing about that I can’t really guarantee when that will be.
10. Reach my target weight. Well, if my target weight was 4 kg’s heavier than I was when I made this list, I guess you could say yes, I did reach my goal. Of course it wasn’t (quite the contrary), which is why I’ll be off to Zone Fitness Women’s Only gym this afternoon to see what I can do about the alarming wobbly bits that are taking up residence all over my (very incensed) body.
So, let’s see that’s five-ish goals either met or in progress. Not as bad as I feared! Now, if only I could find a way to keep my Cape Town accommodation looking like a girl’s room (read: neat, tidy, devoid of dust bunnies), I could actually start believing myself when I tell my parents that I’m all grown up.
