Day 8 of a 30 Day Blogging Challenge: What are Five of My Current Goals?

I am always full of plans. From the time I wake up until I am writing down my day at night (kind of journaling), I am sorting through things that I want to see happen. Of course, with 7 kids in the house, that often just means keeping ducks in a row and making sure that everyone is where they need to be and have warm coats with them.

But plans are different than goals. Plans are stepping stones within the bigger picture and I do keep some precious goals held lovingly in my heart.

• My deepest heartfelt goal is that all of my children have happy, healthy lives. Not happy as in a perpetually good mood, but truly content and satisfied with who they are and what they are doing. And healthy, physically, of course, but mostly healthy in their spirits and their life choices and relationships. I can’t make this THEIR goal, as that is on them, but everything I do for them is to guide them and give them the choices and the skills to heal from past trauma, to connect sincerely with others, and to know who they are and who they were created to be. STEPS TO REACH THIS GOAL… everything I do right now, my ministry, my choices, my days are set to this goal.
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• I have a goal to write a book. This blog is a step in that direction… sharing what has been an incredibly blessed journey with all of these kids. I want the book to be inspiring, entertaining, and fun. That feels like a lofty goal, given all the trauma that will live within the stories. STEPS TO REACH THIS GOAL… my blog and all of my writing. I am hoping my journey here will help me to lay out steps towards a real book
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• One goal is to get more financial stability in place by the time the kids are out of the home. I know that sounds backward, but I retired early from my career to be more available to these kids with trauma. I made the conscious, deliberate choice to live low-income because the children needed me to be more present rather than to have me make more money. I regret nothing. But having turned 60 years old this past January, thoughts turn more towards what “retirement” will require. IF I am ever an empty nester (and that’s not a given), I will need to make choices about my standard of living as well as what my needs will be. STEPS TO REACH THIS GOAL… I am currently doing research about retirement in general. There is very little out there about low-income retirement. I don’t want anything fancier than what I have now if I am ever on my own, but cost of living is SO high here in the Pacific Northwest, that I will need to make some decisions.
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• My most short-term, but permanent goal is related to health and fitness. I am definitely noticing the signs of aging in my body (mostly joint pain, probably related to arthritis) and, while I’m not anxious about my health in general, I want to be able to stay active and be involved in many aspects of the children’s’ lives as possible. It’s the goal I work on every day and have made some new intentional changes this year with this goal in mind. STEPS TO REACH THIS GOAL… literally steps. I’m using my pedometer and working incrementally towards more distance. I’m also trying to convince myself that swimming may be the way to go, what with the arthritis and all, but I HATE being cold and wet. Any swimming, even an indoor pool, here in the PNW involves being cold and wet when you get out of a pool. LOL
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• And last, but not least, another goal I can identify is related to the one right before this one…. I REALLY want to learn to dance… like ballroom, modern, jazz. I feel alive when I watch dance shows on TV and all the dance scenes in many musicals. I have really only noticed this as a goal in the past couple of years. It wasn’t a moment of goal setting, but rather an awareness that I think I would LOVE to move like that. As an aside…. I’d love to try theater, too… an amateur community production of some kind. Both of these will take planning, as I have NO time to invest in that big of a commitment right now. STEPS TO REACH THIS GOAL… I have and continue to key an eye out for local dance classes and community theater groups. I’m not actively clearing out my schedule for these yet, as the ministry with the kids takes priority. But it is not a dormant dream. As I scan for opportunities, I WILL leap at the first opportunity that will fit into our life here. This will feed my spirit!

As you can see, I have some plans in place for each of these goals. There are many, many other goals that come to mind… short-term, long-term, and maybe more wishful than outright goals, but these are definitely on my shortlist. I’m going to put this post on my digital datebook for a year from now as a reminder to follow up with you all about where I am at with these goals next November.

If you would like to read other posts in this 30-Day blogging challenge, click on any of the links below…

Day 1 of a 30 Day Blog Challenge: “Explain My Blog Name”

Day 2 of a 30 Day Blog Challenge: “Share Twenty Things about Me”

Day 3 of a 30 Day Blog Challenge: “My Favorite Quote”

Days 4-7 of a 30 Day Blog Challenge: Let’s Combine Some of It

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I’d really love to have you along for the journey! Sign up here to get email notes every time I post a new article. There are a lot more stories to come!!!