Well, 2020 is over and it's time to evaluate how I did. Some were failures or successes because of the dumpster fire that 2020 turned into.
Go vegan 6 days per week
Mixed, but mostly a success. I ate healthfully and vegan some months more than others; almost always at least 3 days a week and mostly vegetarian if not vegan the rest of the time. Toughest month was probably October, then went back on the wagon in November. Overall I still feel great eating a mostly plant-based diet, and with trying new recipes and restaurants, it's always tasty and never dull.
Brunch or dinner in a new city spot every week
Mixed, but mostly a success. We used the pandemic as an opportunity both to support restaurants we love with carry-out orders, as well as a chance to find new loves. At a certain point, though, you've pretty much tried everything in your neighborhood, so we probably need to plan to venture out of our neighborhood for more carry-out while the pandemic is raging.
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| Calumet Fisheries, visited for the first time this year |
Lose weight to 155 lb.
Unqualified failure. I actually gained weight during the pandemic and struggled all year. Dave and I both started strictly counting calories in the last month of the year, resulting in clawing back some success, but I don't think I was under 165 at all this year. Add to next year's goals (again).
Get rid of more stuff - live minimalistically
Success. We continued to get rid of items we didn't need after moving, bringing it all to my mom's garage sale in May. We are still getting rid of items, including books and clothing, which can be tough!
Spend two (or more) nights at home each week
Success. You can bet this one was easy pretty much from mid-March onward. I will pause here to allow my readers to laugh maniacally.
Meditate consistently
Mixed. I did a few nice meditation retreats during the pandemic and tried to incorporate breathing, meditation, and sometimes Buddhist chants into my daily life. I have found it very difficult to find time or focus on this. Continue to make a priority next year.
Shop local - buy U.S. produce and from more local, small businesses
Big success! When I can buy it locally, I do, and have supported many small businesses all year. No matter how much Dave wants blueberries in November, I have put my foot down. Also have made it a priority to support black-owned businesses in Chicago in the latter half of the year and will continue to do this.
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| At a Bronzeville flower farm; we bought a CSA that employs black youth on the south and west sides |
Host a dinner party each month
HA. Had people over sometimes, I would not call this a success, but I wouldn't say it's my fault, either.
Slow down at work; research and prepare before responding
Mostly a success.
Become intuitive at Celsius / Fahrenheit conversion
Mostly a success; I'm not too exact about it, mostly being able to tell the Celsius equivalent for the round numbers of ten in Fahrenheit (e.g., 40 F = 4 C, 50 F = 10 C).
Watch all "Tales from the Crypt" episodes
Completed in March and really enjoyed. In watching them all together, I noticed some themes coming through in the morals of each episode, so I actually made a big matrix and sent it to my sister, who laughed heartily.
The most common morals I identified were "don't kill" (48 instances) and "greed is bad" (30 instances). I also kept notes on some of the very random morals, which were some of my favorites:
- Mummy sex (two instances!!)
- Secret transsexual (two instances also, at least)
- "Don't F with Tim Curry"
- Attorneys suck
- Very out of left field "killing OK!" moral in season 3, episode 7
Execute wills and powers of attorney with Dave
Completed right away in January, which was a good thing - I used the Wills for Heroes templates and notaries, which I wouldn't have been able to do if we had waited because we only met in January and February. I feel good knowing this is done and our charitable bequests are set up.
Organize my old photos and store
Mostly success. I went through all my old photos, chucked many of them, consolidated into boxes. Next step is to digitize and also label the back with the approximate date and location. It will be fun to enlist my mom's help for this.
Eat at all the restaurants on this list
Success, and also delicious. I also ended up finding a black-owned vegan restaurant list in Chicago and eating our way through that, too. Delightful and probably my favorite goal.
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| One of my favorite meals of the year - Conscious Plates in Bronzeville |
Go camping
Failure, and this is one we actually could have done in spite of COVID. We have plans to rent a cabin at Starved Rock next spring and would like to dust off the tent at some point next summer.
Attain CFP certification
Took the test and passed in November!
Do a chin-up
Utter and complete failure. Again, gained weight and wasn't able to access the gym for heavy weights for much of the year.
Clear out Ravelry queue
One positive was I finally used the gorgeous olive yarn (left) in a poncho after sitting around for 8-10 years!!
Let's be honest, most of my knitting and crocheting was spent yarn bombing this year. Maybe I can get through a few items this winter while it's too cold to install yarn bombs outdoors.
Clear out pile of books and reduce Goodreads queue to 10 books
Mostly a success. I didn't quite get down to 10, but I got it down to a manageable number and cleared out some that I don't intend to read. I left enough on there to give me a good chunk to start on in 2021, when I will likely attempt a three-peat of reading 100 books in a year.
Do 20 hikes from 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Chicago
Great success - we achieved this in September and continued to do 11 more hikes! Goal is to continue and finish the book next year.
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So that's it! 2021 goals have been posted - let's all wish each other luck in accomplishing things in 2021!
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