I don’t usually write these year-end recaps but I feel like I should this year. Maybe if I did I’d be more cognizant of my accomplishments, and what I’ve overcome. I kind of wish I could go back and read these from past years, but there isn’t much. Oh well. Something to commit to moving forward!
{I got these questions randomly from here, because they seemed like what I was looking for.}
1. The most important goal that I achieved this year was: revamping my teaching style to include more technology. I’m really pleased with how my program is going so far.
2. My biggest fitness accomplishment was: passing my green belt test and breaking both my boards!
3. My biggest career accomplishment was: presenting an hour of very well-received professional development to my colleagues. People had really positive things to say about it and a few have already implemented ideas I shared (it was over a month ago so that is a VERY short turn around).
4. My biggest relationship accomplishment was: recognizing the awesomeness of my group of mom friends and being appreciative of their amazing presence in my life.
5. These are the skills I acquired this year: I mastered the yellow belt techniques at my dojo; I learned to effectively implement a lot of new teaching strategies; I greatly perfected a comprehensible-input technique that I have struggled with; I am better at controlling outbursts of anger.
6. A big mistake that I made this year—and the lesson that I learned as a result—was: So I didn’t make this mistake this year, but I was forced to reckon with it this year. My biggest mistake was moving too quickly to find a new tenant five years ago when we originally signed with the man who we bought out this year. We felt so financially squeezed that we went with the first friend-of-a-friend that came by, and we also charged way too little for rent, in an attempt to not participate in the incredibly messed up system that is SF rents. But what I learned is that if you have to participate in the system, you can’t try to rise above it, especially when later it will turn around and kick you in the ass. I so regret the choices we made with our unit back then, but I’m proud that we’re moving forward with a decision that makes us feel better even though it puts us in a financially difficult situation. (Also, our tenant leaves in two weeks!)
7. An obstacle or a challenge that I overcame this year: I managed this incredibly shitty tenant situation without regrets (the regrets are all about earlier choices), and that was hard for me.
8. This year, I learned the following about myself: I handle regret very poorly and I have a very hard time moving past my mistakes.
9. Here’s something I learned about other people: we’re all doing the best we can, even if it’s hard for us to see that about ourselves or each other.
10. This made me laugh the hardest this year: my husband. He handles everything with humor and I learn so much about different ways to weather challenges from him every day.
11. The most fun I had all year was: swimming with sea lions in La Paz, Mexico.
12. My best memory of the year was: the day trip to Espíritu Santo in La Paz with my husband and kids.
13. My biggest regret of the year was: not giving more. Giving more is a big goal of mine in 2020.
14. My biggest disappointment of the year was: how much money we had to pay our tenant to leave.
15. The books I read this year were: Ohhh. I am so not good at keeping track of this… The best book I read this year was definitely Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror, which I highly recommend and hope to write more about later.
16. My favorite movie of the year was: I really liked Captain Marvel. Did that come out this year?
17. A TV show I really enjoyed watching this year was: I absolutely adored Fleabag Season 2 (on Amazon Prime). It was so, so good. I was so bummed out when it ended (because I wanted to watch more.)
18. I really enjoyed this live performance (concert, play, musical, or dance performance): I just saw Cracker with my dad at the Great American Music Hall. I love the concerts I see with him (they are his gifts for Christmas from me) and this one was especially fun. Really brought me back to my high school years. I also saw Hamilton with two friends in September and loved it.
19. Here’s a song I listened to over and over again this year: True Love Will Find You In the End (Beck cover of a Daniel Johnston classic).
20, This is something I wish I hadn’t bought this year: Hmmm. There isn’t a specific purchase that I regret but I regret getting so much on Amazon. This is something I still struggle with because sometimes I can’t find what I’m looking for anywhere else. But I need to stop giving my money to that company, even if it means I just don’t get to have some things that I can’t find elsewhere. That is another goal in 2020.
21. This is the best thing I bought all year: My iPad Pro, which replaced my home computer and which I use all the time at home and school. It has been a major player in my curriculum revamp and I spent the summer agonizing over the purchase, but in the end was so glad that I made the leap.
22. Someone I really enjoyed spending time with this year was: my friend J. She’s the best.
23. I adopted this new positive habit: I brush my teeth early and don’t snack after 7:30pm (except for tea). This has made me feel a lot better physically.
24. I dropped this negative habit: taking on responsibilities I don’t want, or can’t actually perform.
25. One time I stood up for myself this year was: in my participation on the PTA. I’ve stepped WAY back, and while the people who were supposed to step up didn’t, it’s still been okay.
26. The scariest thing I went through this year was: Hmm. I don’t think “scary” is the right word, but it was really hard to let go of my grandmother, and her home, this year. So much harder than I expected (and it was a little scary because it forced me to realize that my parents, and aunts and uncles, are getting so much older and the dynamics of my extended family are going to be changing a lot in the next ten years.)
27. A really cool thing I created this year was: my “Profe Pulpo” persona at school. When I ask my students to be very engaged in a story or other comprehensible input I wear an octopus hat and they can earn stickers with my bitmoji wearing the octopus hat for their bingo boards. It has been a huge boon to participation in my room this year. And it’s a lot of fun.
28. My most common mental state this year was: Contented? Is that possible? It wasn’t depressed or anxious, I know that! Win!
29. Here’s how I grew emotionally this year: The massive change in our financial situation has forced me to do a lot of reckoning with my intense feelings of failure around money and finances. It’s been REALLY REALLY hard, and I’m sorry I haven’t written about it much hear but I honestly couldn’t bring myself to put down in writing that I’ve failed to grown much at all in this area despite coming here so many times and proclaiming I was going to try. This coming year we NEED to change the way we spend money, so I guess I’m going to learn if necessity can finally turn me around.
30. Here’s how I grew spiritually this year: I feel more balanced and centered, more aware of my priorities and values (though I’m still working on this).
31. The best gift I received this year was: a small inheritance from my grandmother’s estate, which definitely helped with the buy out.
32. The nicest thing someone did for me this year was: My friend J planned a birthday party for me! It was so thoughtful and I felt very appreciated.
33. The nicest thing I did for someone else this year was: I help my friends out with their kids a lot. I have a lot of help from family so I try hard to take their kids when they need it, or just for fun. I’m used to having a lot of kids around so it doesn’t faze me as much as it does others.
34. I showed real gumption this year when I: fixed the popcorn popper with a random extra piece from some old IKEA set. Saved me $40 and made me feel very resourceful.
35. If I could change one thing about this year it would be: more acceptance of my past mistakes. Looking forward instead of looking back.
36. A new food/dish I tried this year was: My husband has been shopping a lot more at the Asian mega-market near us and we’re having all sorts of interesting dishes with furikake and miso paste. They aren’t necessarily new to me, but they are definitely new additions to our regular dinner menu.
37. This year my physical health was: really good actually. I’m the strongest I’ve maybe ever been. Yay martial arts!
38. Here’s a new friend I made this year: I didn’t make any new friends this year but I’ve solidified my friendships with the moms I’ve been kind of hanging out with for a couple of years. I definitely feel like those friendships leveled up this year. 😉
39. This year I traveled to: La Paz Mexico! It was awesome!
40. Here’s one adventure I had this year: The first week in La Paz, when it was just the kids and me, was definitely an adventure.
41. One contribution I made to my community was: I put on the carnival at my daughter’s school last spring, which was a huge endeavor. I’m glad I did it, and I’m also glad I’m never doing it again.
42. This year I spent a lot of time here: at my dojo! I’m trying hard to build community there and it’s starting to pay off!
43. This year I broke out of my comfort zone by: presenting to my colleagues! That professional development I took in the summer has pushed me to try so many new things that I never would have attempted before, but that was definitely the most rewarding.
44. A hobby I loved spending time on this year was: martial arts. It’s both mentally and physically challenging.
45. This year I practiced self-care by: saying “no” to my previous PTA obligations, even if that meant nobody took them on.
46. My biggest time waster this year was: probably the AppleNews app before I deleted it. Scrolling their got BAD for a while – so many BuzzFeed listcicles! I just bought the NYTimes for $1 a week for the year and I’m so enjoying having that. It’s a great addition to TPM, which is my regular source for news and current events (and BBC Mundo for world news).
47. Here’s a great time-saving hack I learned this year: letting my husband take on more responsibilities! It’s crazy how much time you save when someone else does stuff instead of you!
48. What I am most grateful for this year is: my husband. He helped me through some hard stuff with great patience. I’m also thankful for my psychiatrist who urged me to take the plunge and try a new medication, which I think has helped me tremendously.
49. Here are three words that would sum up this year: Hard but good.
50. If I could travel back to the beginning of the year, here’s some advice I would give myself: Let the regret go. Learn from it but let it go. Also, be kind to yourself. You’re growing and changing, even if you don’t realize it.
What good questions and helpful to read your answers and think through my own.
One major thing however…… I think in the time I have been reading your posts (started way before Not a Wasted *, and read for LONG time before ever commented) you have changed and grown enormously about finances and consuming and acquiring and triaging. You simply do not give yourself adequate credit. AND, every time you have set out to make serious changes in spending you have made incremental changes that you do not acknowledge because somehow you fall short of your expectations of 100% unreasonable changes. I, however, am totally amazed by the changes and self growth you have achieved. I was delighted to see you acknowledge the self care involved in stepping back from PTA and celebration of professional steps forward. Learning to celebrate one’s self seems to be a life long process … (except for serious narcissists who lie.)
A huge fan of yours and hope you will continue writing in this new year.
Thank you.
I love this format of going over the past years. It’s a great way to read back as the years go by. Happy New Year.