The Best of Intentions — 2021 Results Are In!

Last year I decided on eight intentions for 2021. I let my ideas marinate for a few days before committing to them, and around the second week of January, I put them in writing. By then I had a feeling these intentions were actually doable unlike so many other years’ resolutions or goals I’ve had. Looking back at the eight for 2021, I still like them.

Here’s the list:

2021 Intentions

1. Waste nothing
2. Eat more berries – all kinds
3. One bottle of wine per week “tops”
4. Do not complain
5. Read one book at a time
6. Meal plan one week at a time
7. Get in touch with old friends: Joanne, Sherry and Viola
8. Do one task at a time

You may be wondering why eight? Why not ten? I had eight because these all truly resonated with me. I didn’t want to muddy the water (or my motivation) by scribbling a couple more down that were not that interesting to me just to get to an arbitrary number. I didn’t think about it at the time, but having fewer made them easier to remember, an added bonus.    

Here are the results (drum roll, please…) 

I can comfortably say I accomplished six of the eight which is 75%. In pure numbers, that calculation is correct, but for me it feels like I scored a 90! 

Here’s the rundown:

#1. Waste nothing was the easiest to remember and the one I caught myself saying weekly, if not daily, especially in the kitchen. Is it worth saving just a couple of spoonfuls of rice and chicken? Yes! Absolutely! With a cyclist husband who will come back from a ride and raid the fridge of anything, and our son now a teenager, you can never have too many leftovers. Food was easy. For household items, I tried to hold myself to a higher standard. Instead of grabbing a paper towel to wipe up a spill, a sponge will do the job just as well, and there’s nothing to throw away. After all, nothing is really thrown away; it just ends up somewhere else. 

#2. Eat more berries – all kinds. Definitely did this more. Price consciousness keeps me from buying berries because they can be expensive. But they’re also delicious, good for your brain, dress up a dessert like a pro, and never go to waste in our house. See #1.

#3. One bottle of wine per week “tops.” Okay, this wasn’t a favorite even when I wrote it, but a doctor specializing in bone density recommended it saying wine can leach your bones. I don’t want to believe it, but I did cut back.

#4. Do not complain. Really? That was on the list?

#5. Read one book at a time. Having a very short span of attention, this has been bothering me for years. I wouldn’t give a book a fair chance before I’d start another and end up never finishing very many. I’m happy to say this intention stuck. I picked books I really wanted to read and wouldn’t let myself skip around. Only having one on the nightstand helped me stay focused. I kept track of what I read but only since March and the list was kind of short – 9 books. I can do better.  

#6. Meal plan one week at a time. Failed miserably. This is supposed to save time and money, but it doesn’t work for me. If I plan a bunch of meals, something will go to waste. And I’m more anxious about all of it because I’m not a great cook. On the flip side, I’m an enthusiastic baker! Cookies, cake, brownies and bread — I’m that girl! 

#7. Get in touch with old friends. 💯 I was able to reconnect with all three of these wonderful women, and it felt so good! Highly recommend!

#8. Do one task at a time. This was such a good one! Having this written down gave me permission to slow down and focus on the task at hand. Doing a job well makes us happier and prouder of the job we’re doing. I can’t say enough about how this one reduced my stress.  

So that’s how 2021 became the year of my best intentions. I intend to change it up for 2022 and will be posting that soon. 

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Thanks for stopping by! 

Martha