2013 Non-Athletic Goals

There are a few things I would like to accomplish in 2013 that aren't related to running, triathlon, or cyclocross.  Last year I made some non-athletic goals for 2012 and I think it's a good tradition to uphold, as it keeps me well-rounded and triathlon is not life (though it feels like it is during the thick of Ironman training)

Read at least 60 books.  I just finished my 50th book of 2012, reaching that goal within hours of the midnight ball dropping.  Nothing like letting it come down to the wire.  At least 15 of these books for 2013 need to be classics (NOT smut) and at least 5 must be in French.  Trying to up the ante.  I read in a recent article that George W. Bush read an average of a book a week during his presidency.  I may not have agreed with some of his policies, but I think that's impressive time management - running the country, staying active, reading a ton, and still going to bed early.

Go to Holy Mass more often and learn/grow in the Catholic faith.  I've been Catholic forever, even with the short stint in middle school of investigating the Morman church.  Mr. Sweetie wasn't Catholic when we met, but he decided (on his own accord) to be baptized in the faith before we were married.  In the months leading up to our wedding, we were spending large portions of our weekends at Church between Mass, pre-cana classes, and Mr. Sweetie's RCIA class.  I know this might sound like a boring way to spend your weekends, but in reality it was quite nice.  We were good about going to Mass regularly the first few years we were married, then we went to Mass more sporadically, and in the past few months we've been going on a weekly basis again.  Going to Mass and having conversations about Catholicism make our marriage stronger.

Learn how to take better-than-decent photographs.  We have a nice Nikon camera and I have NO idea how to use it to its full potential.  This is shameful, shameful.  A couple of months ago I bought a book that was something along the lines of Photography for Dummies and I'm going to start off by reading that book and seeing what I learn.  If I get lucky, I might even manage to take a class.

Volunteer.  Part of being a good Catholic - heck, part of being a good person, really - is to volunteer your services.  When I first moved to the DC area I volunteered as an ESL teacher through Catholic Charities.  Then I started grad school and got into triathlon and didn't make time to volunteer anymore.  I'm tired of being so selfish and it's time to look for ways to give back.

Write more letters and thank you notes.  It's like I have a phobia of the post office and sending anything by mail.  I've written plenty of letters and never posted them.  I feel guilty about all of the unwritten thank you notes I keep meaning to send people, but then feel like too much time has passed and now would just be too late and silly to send it.  But really, it is ever really too late to say thank you? Or tell someone that you are thinking of them?  I wrote my grandma a letter last year, as she writes and sends me many cards, and my parents said it made her day.  Time to make her day much more often in 2013.  As well as tell other people I am thinking of them using something other than email or text.

Be a better wife to Mr. Sweetie.  He tops the Husband of the Year list.  I know you think I am biased, but if you lived with him and saw everything he does each day AND what a good person he is, I think you would agree with me.  I'm going to make an effort to do the little things more often (catbox cleaning, dishwasher-emptying, dinner cooking, animal hair dustbusting).  Marriage is not all romance and glamour and when you get right down to it, the day-to-day things are what I appreciate more than any box-of-chocolates-for-no-reason (and you all know how much I like chocolate).