I’m always looking for ways to improve my life.
Give me a self-help book over fiction any day. I just don’t care for fantasy. I’m weird like that, or maybe I’m just old and jaded.
A good inspirational writing prompt makes me happy. Add in a dose of self-reflection, and I’m even happier.
I recently found this prompt on an Instagram post from Skip to My Lou Blog that was inspiring.
Yesterday morning, I sat down with my cup of coffee and a notebook and gave this prompt a go. It felt like the appropriate thing to do at the beginning of this new year.
Since it was the weekend, I might have had a touch of sugar-free amaretto in my coffee. I made a batch of this recipe over Christmas break and it was a winner. While it’s not exactly made for sipping, it’s totally good in coffee or with diet coke. I might even try it in an amaretto sour. Lord knows I’ll be trying to work off these extra holiday calories for a while! It’s made with Swerve, which is new for me. If you can’t find Swerve in your local grocery store, you can find it on Amazon. It’s my favorite sweetener.
So here we go….
Here is my interview with myself.
A New Friend You Made This Year– I made so many new friends this year! Moving into a different room at school gave me a chance to make new classroom neighbor friends. Joining the Arts Council introduced me to so many more people with the same interests. As a total introvert, 2021 was a good social year for me, in all of my awkward glory.
Most Grateful For This Year- Among the things I’m most grateful for is the health of my parents. Nothing can top this. I’ve had so many friends lose parents and I can’t even imagine life without them.
One Thing You Want to Learn Next Year– I want to learn more polymer clay techniques. I want to turn my hobby into something that will provide a little additional income after my retirement- which isn’t anytime close. Truly wishful thinking. I’ll probably be making house payments until I’m eighty.
A Place You Want to Visit Next Year– That’s a no-brainer for me. If COVID doesn’t interfere, we plan to travel to Europe for our delayed honeymoon. That’s my life-long dream (not the delayed honeymoon, just to be clear.) I want to see famous artworks and antiquities. I want to taste Cava in Spain and the best wines in Italy!
An Unexpected Joy This Year– I can’t decide between camping or new appliances! You can read about my camping experience this year. And if you are on my Facebook, you lived the appliance drama with me. I haven’t even used my stop top yet. I just like looking at it. It’s so clean and shiny.
Biggest Regret This Year– Honestly, my biggest regret is not starting bio-identical hormone treatment earlier. I’ve been on it for almost a whole year and it’s been life-changing! I can’t believe I suffered through menopause symptoms for so long. I now have energy and I’m not as much of an emotional wreck. The latter makes Eric very much happy.
The Biggest Surprise This Year– The biggest surprise was all of the unexpected home improvements and repairs made this year. I practically have a new kitchen at this point. But that’s life and homeownership.
The Best Place You Visited This Year– I went to Annapolis, Maryland for the first time this year, and I loved, loved, loved it! We made the best memories. If you’ve never been, I most definitely recommend it! It reminded me so much of Savannah. And OMG, the crab cakes….
Something You Want to Change Next Year– Besides the usual “improve my health” resolution, I want to improve my spending habits. When I was single, I saved and scrimped for so long that I went a little crazy with my spending the past couple of years. I lot of my spending was on the house. But also, Amazon can be a bit addicting. I WILL do better with saving and paying towards my debt this year. I’ve done it once. I can do it again.
Something New You Want To Try This Year– That was absolutely the hardest question to answer. I feel like I’ve tried everything that I am interested in trying at nearly 50 years old. I’m not going to try anything new to eat. I’m not going to skydive or hike up a mountain. So, I’m still pondering this question.
Biggest Time Waster in Your Life This Year– That’s a no-brainer. The biggest time-waster is definitely social media. I have to spend a certain amount of time on YouTube learning new things. I have to keep up with blogs and trends on Instagram. However, one can easily get sucked into social media for hours that could be better spent enjoying hobbies or family. I will be more cautious of this in 2022.
Biggest Lesson Learned This Year– I learned that I do not look good with grey hair. I tried it for a few months because I loved the idea of it being low maintenance. I love grey hair on other people. However, it didn’t go with my skin tone at all. It was really bad! I’m sure I’ll try it later. And when I try it again, I will need someone to remind me that it just doesn’t work.
I hope you found this questionnaire inspiring as well! I challenge you to answer those same questions yourself. A little self-reflection is always good for the soul.
