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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Finding Time for Reflection


As the new year quickly approaches, I find myself a little desperate for some time to sit quietly and reflect on this past year. Finding a moment to myself, though, is very hard to come by these days. But before I begin the new year, I want to stop and think about this past year and all the challenges and blessings it has brought me. I want to think about what I want to change in the coming year, and what I want to keep the same. I want to think about what is best for my children, for me, my husband, our marriage, my friendships, and my relationships with my extended familia. I want to think about this blog, and the LBBC, Latin Baby and anything else to which I devote my time.

Mi amiga, Angelica, recently mentioned some of her goals for the coming year. This is something that I think is important to create. But setting goals, for me, is not something I can easily do without thinking about where I've been, where I am now, and where I want to be. It's also something I can't accomplish alone anymore. Since becoming una mamá, I no longer have only my own life to consider, but also two others. I know that my actions impact mis niños, because they are watching me closely everyday and modeling themselves after me.

I also feel (self-imposed) pressure to clean up the house. It's silly, really, pero at the end of the year, for some reason I feel this tremendous urge to organize and purge mi casita of all the STUFF that we don't need. All the clutter strangles me, because I always want to start the new year off clean and fresh, with a positive outlook and an open mind that is receptive to change for the good of my familia.

So here are my goals for the next two days:

1) Find 30 minutes to sit quietly and think about the past year.
2) Make a list of the good things I want to keep or develop.
3) Make a list of the challenges we've faced.
4) Create a list of goals for 2011. This list can be as complex as "train my daughter to have a positive attitude," or as simple as "paint the trim in the living room."
5) Think carefully about our homeschool schedule and format these past 4 months.
6) Create a new approach or make changes (if necessary) to our homeschool plan for the rest of this school year.
7) Make a trip to Goodwill/Salvation Army and drop off donations.
8) Decide which area of the house I most want to organize and just do it

What about you? Have you already thought about your goals for the coming year? Have you spent time thinking about this past one? Or is it hard for you to find time to just sit quietly alone to reflect?

Con mucho cariño....