One Little Word of 2012

RENEWAL
A theme in Judaism, especially our Mi Shebeirach (video link) prayer, is the renewal of body and spirt. Singing this at services and having just experienced a renewal in my commitment to Judaism, I've been thinking a lot about this concept and how renewal would be a good area of focus (and thus my one little word) for 2012:


Renewal of Body
It’s time to get moving! I have free memberships to two gyms - one where I live, one where I work - so there is absolutely no excuse not to work out, other than sheer laziness which I need to kick in the tush. I plan to accomplish this by teaming up with Hubby. He has the same gym memberships I do, so this will be a healthy way to spend time together. I also want to spend more time in the kitchen with good-for-us ingredients.

Renewal of Spirit
Simply put, 2011 was an emotionally exhaustive year. I need to bring a little bit of serenity back into my life and my psyche. Journaling, devoting time to myself and the things I enjoy doing, and yoga have all proven to be helpful strategies in the past that I’m looking forward to trying again in 2012.

Renewal of Relationships
For a myriad of reasons that aren’t really important, there are relationships in my life that have suffered a bit of neglect. I’m going to pick up my phone and pen more in the new year to revive long-distance relationships, and I'm going to make an effort to spend more time with the people who are within my reach.

Renewal of Balance
Schedule wasn’t a dirty word back in 2009, so why has it become one now? Schedules work for me. This I know. So instead of fighting it, I will again embrace it and hopefully achieve a bit more balance in my life by doing so.

Renewal of a Budget
I can set a killer budget in theory, but in practice, I inevitably blow it. I really want to travel more this year, but to do that, I need to 1) stop spending money on things I don't need and 2) stop paying more than I should for things I do need (aka use the coupons that I clip).

Renewal of Home Sweet Home
I’ve never been the tidiest of people, and I know I never will, but I usually at least try to be. This year I found myself not trying very hard. I finally unpacked the last moving box over the holiday break. Now it's time to finish up some projects, get the rest of our pictures on the walls, and maintain a space to which we are proud to invite friends.

I'm toying with the idea of participating in Ali Edwards' BPC One Little Word Class to keep my One Little Word more in the forefront of my mind this year... but I have to make sure it fits into my budget.  :)

Wishing you all a happy, healthy new year!