Ten Things Tuesday

I am 44 today.  I’m not a suspicious person by nature; I don’t believe in astrology or numerology or anything like that, but I am gearing up some hopeful anticipation that this year is going to be a good one (Lord knows I deserve it; ’11 and ’12 were much harder than I ever expected).

Here, then, are 10 things that I am looking forward to in my 44th year.

1.  I make no secret about the fact that my marriage is the most important part of my life.  I’m very much looking forward to another happy year with Mr. Chili.

2.  Being the mother of two (three, if you count Sweet Pea, and I do) teenage girls can be a challenge sometimes, but that doesn’t keep me from loving them to the center of my being.  I’m looking forward to my girls and our continually evolving relationships.

3.  I’m really hoping to nail the perfect job.  I don’t want to settle for whatever I can get, and I don’t want to find a position where I have to bend and twist my ethics or my enthusiasm to accommodate others’ fear or laziness.  I know that job’s out there, I just have to find it.

4.  I’m really digging having Bowyer back in our lives, and I’m looking forward to more family time with him and the boys.

5.  I’m also really loving having Sweet Pea’s family as part of our tribe, and I’m eager for another year of our easy, funny, harmonious companionship.

6.  I’m hoping to go places this year, though I’m not sure what our travel schedule will look like (given my current unemployment and the girls’ hectic schedules).  Punk’s going to England with the school band and Bean’s eighth grade class is going to DC in the spring; I’m hoping that, along with our annual haj to the lake, we can squeeze in a family trip to either DC or Florida sometime this coming year.

7.  I’ve been doing well with my increased focus on my yoga practice, and I’ve managed to get some other kinds of exercise in during these last few weeks, as well.  I’m going to keep at it so that my 44th year will be marked both by easier movement (I’m still battling the constant drag of arthritis) and my presenting slightly less force on the Earth.

8.  I’ve also been doing pretty well keeping in touch with people I love.  I get to see O’Mama fairly regularly, I reconnected with Ellen (formerly known as the Goddess of the Front Desk), and have managed to keep up with farther-away friends a little better, too.  I’m going to keep that up; I’m happier when I get to spend time with people I love.

9.  I’m loving being a student again, and am sucking up all the opportunities I can find to take classes, attend lectures, and participate in workshops.  I fully expect to complete my CAGS by the summer, and I’m going to have all of my professional development hours in the bag, as well.

10.  I fully intend to continue being actively engaged in politics and social issues.  Despite the fact that I get “all worked up” (as so many of my friends like to point out), I love the energy and purpose that I feel when I’m thinking, working, and educating.  These things matter, and I plan to stay in for as long as I can stand it.  If I can make even a little difference that makes the world better, it will be worth it.

Here’s to another trip around the sun!

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