Plans And Goals For 2013

I don't normally contemplate what all I'd like to accomplish at the start of a new year; I normally just wing it. But with both of us now retired and in complete control of our lives, I thought that perhaps I should organize my thoughts and establish some concrete goals to pursue in 2013. I tend to divide my life into three categories; mind, body and spirit, with travel rounding out the mix as category number four.

Under the category of mind:

We're adjusting our travel calendar as much as possible to be here at home during the fall and spring terms of OLLI, the lifelong learning program we belong to. This upcoming term will include many of the classes we've come to enjoy already:  Spanish, bridge, the study of Shakespeare, the history of Jazz, the history of Broadway, learning to play the recorder, history of the middle ages, and tennis. The Spring term brings several new offerings of interest:  understanding great classical music, the study of climate change, history and analysis of documentary film, and a host of one time lectures on topics ranging from history, to politics, to astronomy.

Under the category of body:

I ran just one race in 2012, and I know my running and biking suffered for it, so in 2013 I've laid out a series of races, beginning with a short race here in my hometown in February. Shortly after that, on March 9, Mike and I will bike the Solvang Half Century ride, then the Diablo Trail Challenge Half Marathon on April 20. From then until August we'll primarily be traveling, so I'll round out the year after we return home with the Long Beach Half Marathon in October, and the South Pasadena Tiger Run 10K in December.

I've neglected my weight training, and I'm determined to pick it up again this year. It went by the wayside when I began training for my first marathon in 2010, and I just never got back to it. However, I was recently comparing photos of my arms during my intense weight training days vs. today, and there is a distinct difference. I want those toned arms back! So, back to the weight room I go.

And finally, I've begun to add speed work to my weekly runs to increase both the intensity of my rooms, and my overall speed. It's hard, really hard, but it feels great when I'm done, and I can already see that I'm running just a bit faster on my non-speedwork days.

Under the category of 'spirit':

I'm still struggling to add meditation into my day, but I'm determined to keep at it because I know what a benefit it will be in soothing my overactive brain. So, starting tomorrow I plan to begin my day quietly and away from the computer; first by reading the daily entry in my favorite book on learning how to remain present in my own life; The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo, then meditating. I'll start with two minutes of meditation, then work my way up from there.

I've also joined an organization focused on fostering tolerance for the world's many diverse bodies of religion in the hope of fostering greater peace among humans. I've added several of their workshops to our 2013 calendar, and hope to add more as I learn of them.

And finally, under the category of 'travel':

Our goal is to be on the road 50% this year, approximately 180 days. I've already got 153 days of travel booked, so I'm pretty confident we'll break 180 before year end. About 100 of those days will be in our RV.

Thailand

Here are some of the places we'll be visiting in 2013:

Carlsbad, Desert Hot Springs, Encinitas,  Malibu, Mammoth Lakes, Mill Valley, Morro Bay, Newport Beach, Palm Springs, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Solvang, Lassen National Park, Redwood National Park (all in CA), Astoria, Eugene, Portland, Winchester Bay, Crater Lake National Park (all in OR), Anacortes, San Juan Islands, Sequim, Cascades National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, Olympia National Park (all in WA), Coastal Florida, Vancouver Island, Quebec and the NE Islands of Canada, and Thailand.

Both Mike and I recognize that life can change in an instant, which is why we'll continue to be focused on going at life as hard as we can in 2013.