A Blank Book

2020. The year of Covid. The year a lot of people lost their jobs. Their livelihood. Their freedom. Even though I continued to work throughout the year; my livelihood, was staying home, watching tv and taking the dog for a nice walk. That's not much of a life for anyone.

2021. A new year that has rung in as everyone tries to figure out what they'll do this year. Hope for a more adventurous year, a more lively year.

This year, I want to go back to my roots. As a teenager I use to love reading, and being free. While I might not be able to be completely free (with lockdowns and such), I can encourage my mental health to be as free as possible.

Read More

She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live- Annie Dillard

I use to love reading as a child and teenager. I use to read anything from romance, to murder mystery to comedy. As I grew up, life got in the way. Everytime I would sit down to read, something would come up and it would never happen.

This year I plan on setting aside 15 minutes every day to read. Reading is a great way to escape our world & problems, while increasing a lot of health benefits. I hope to track my progress, with a website called Goodreads. Once I'm done reading a new book, I hope to login and review the book, in turn keeping a log of all the books I've read over the course of the year.

Eat Veggies Regularly

The average woman my age, should be getting at least three cups of veggies a day. While that may sound easy, it becomes very difficult when veggies and fruits are not as easily available to all.

Last summer, I found comfort and enjoyment in starting a garden. Fruit and Veggie prices have risen so much over the last year, it has become nearly impossible for the average family to get their proper servings by grocery shopping. I decided I would try to grow my own veggies last summer, which worked for the most part (Some squirrels may have destroyed it by the end of the summer though.)

This year, my goal is to get a good cover for the garden and continue to try to grow my own fruits and veggies. My outdoor garden consists of green onions, parsley, cucumber, green collards, grapes and pears. While my indoor space currently consists of spinach, spearmint, an orange tree and an banana tree. I'm looking to add potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, herbs, garlic and more. I'm excited to continue my journey with my garden.

My garden will allow me to have a constant supply of veggies, in turn helping me keep to my goal of eating veggies more regularly. As well my garden will help me destress, find happiness and be a good source of aerobics.

Exercise More

The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow- Anonymous

The last two years have been full of bumpy roads for me. There are days I can't walk because I have shooting pain in my legs and then there are days I can run as far as my dog can drag me. Even through small bouts of exercise my pain proceeds me.

My goal this year is to exercise more in hopes that my pains subside. I've come to enjoy the Apple+ Fitness app over the last month, as I can participate in anything from dance to yoga to HIIT and more. Some days I can do lighter exercise while other days I can go full force and enjoy. Another program I've been wanting to try is the FitOn app. They also have a variety of exercises, in smaller durations. This app might help during my bad days. In order to track my exercise, my fiance and I bought apple watches a couple years ago that I wear everyday and am excited to keep it going. There are times we like to push each other, so we have a tendency to challenge each other.

Mental Health

My last goal for this year is to work on my mental health. I've always been that person who doesn't know how to ask for help and is always worried. My mental health consists a lot of headaches, being overwhelmed and much stress. This year I feel like it's time to be more open and talk to people about my concerns and frustrations. It won't happen overnight, but I'll get there and my family will help make sure I'm on track with this goal.

I'm excited to see what this year will bring and achieve all my goals!

Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page. Write a good one. - Brad Paisley