I am a Quitter.

And I am okay with that :)

I made some resolutions that, like most Americans, give up on.  I have a good and valid reason though! I made the resolutions that I would read 30 books this year and write 150 blogs (among some others...) These are the 2 that I am quitting.

I have decided that I have absolutely NO free time to read the books I enjoy. I attempted to read this weekend, and it was simply amazing, but I didn't study as much as I should have. I also can't add stress to my life by saying "I NEED TO DO THIS! IT WAS A RESOLUTION!" And, I know I would (have), because when I say something, I do it, if it's a rule, I follow it. It's just who I am....

I did manage to read one book before I quit my resolution :) (1/30, WOOHOO)
It shouldn't count though, because I didn't enjoy it and it was for a class.  The name of the book by "In the Arms of Elders: A Parable of Wise Leadership and Community Building" by William H. Thomas, M.D.

 

The guy who wrote this in a genius.. He went to Harvard Med School and he has a long list of awards and credentials.  He, unfortunately, has 2 kids with idiopathic infantile encephalopathy, which is very rare.  Neither of those two girls will ever see, walk, or talk, but he loves them unconditionally. He also has 3 other children and lives on a farm (lol). 

Anyways, he is the president and founder of the Eden Alternative.  He wishes to make nursing homes into a modern day Eden, filled with animals, plants, fish, birds, and the beauty of nature.  His main vision is to rid the elders of the 3 plagues: loneliness, helplessness, and boredom. In his book, he wishes that all nursing homes would be replaced with Greenhouses, a house of about 10 people with the same care as nursing homes, but in a smaller community and the Eden feel.  

All of the above isn't mentioned until like the last 30 pages... He takes you through this FICTITIOUS long journey  of living in Kalimos.  Kalimos doesn't exist... He made it all up to show you what life COULD be like if we followed the ways of Kalimos. It sucks. I was angry. He made me read this whole story and it wasn't even true?! He was trying to show what life would be like when the 3 plagues of the elderly didn't exist and how the lives of not only the elders, but yourself, would be changed for the better....(The story itself wasn't bad, but the ending messed me up, I didn't like any of it)

Let me state my own opinion now.  I believe that this man lives in a world of hopes and dreams while the rest of us live in reality.  The Eden Alternative is FANTASTIC, in theory. I am all for the connection of old people and children, and birds and plants and flowers and pets.. But it's just not realistic, unfortunately, for lots of reasons.  I do hope the best for this man, and if he can touch even a few lives with his program, I would consider it a success. 

Behind.

I am terribly behind on my book-reading goal. If you don't remember, one of my resolutions was to read 30 books this year, which is about 2 and a half a month. That means, by Monday, I should have read a minimum of 2 books.

Oops.

I have read 0. Absolutely none.
ALTHOUGH, i do have 4 books sitting on my nightstand ready to be read.
We'll see what happens :D

Have an extremely blessed day.

It's a New Year!

Welcome to 2010!!

My friend, Mary, inspired me for my new years resolution this year. Last year, she read a book called "Yes Man" and he said yes to everything. Like her, I don't plan on saying yes to everything, but definitely to a lot of different things that I would normally say no to.

I have a few different resolutions, and that is one, and I already have a good list of things that I KNOW I would say no to and am going to give a try::
1) Try Zumba at the Y near me (or Pilates)
2) Go to a college group alone
3) Eat at places that I usually complain about (Mexican..ick)
4) Take sewing lessons
Those are only a few that I know I plan to say yes to. As another resolution, I plan to write down all the things that I say yes to, this will help me build confidence and show me how much I can accomplish on my own.

Some other resolutions
-Read the New Testament.
-Write 150 blog entries. This is a lot for me, as I definitely didn't do much this year. I need to write about 12 per month which I think is do-able.
-Exercise Regularly. Hopefully I'll like the Zumba or Pilates class! :)
-Read 30 books. That's about 2 and half books per month. That doesn't sound like a lot, but as a full time science student, I think it'll be a challenge and it'll help give me a much needed break. I also plan to blog about these.
- Start sewing a quilt-- I am SO excited about this. I hope I love it!

I've never made resolutions before, as I know i'll never do them, so hopefully I can stick to them!

New Year

The new year (decade, actually) is coming upon us and I made a big life change: I am newly single. I dated Tyler fora little over 2 years and he is a truly amazing person; we just weren't meant for each other. We ended very amicably and still remain friends, thank goodness. I am doing alright. Luckily, I've been with family, making the reality easier. I have a feeling it'll be much harder when I go back down to Fort Myers and I'm alone. But I'll make it through.

I am going to SeaWorld with my mom, niece Katelynn, brother Mark, and my very good friend Elise, on Wednesday. My brother, Ben, works there and got us all free tickets!! I am very excited and hope that the weather returns to its normal warm winter weather. Tyler will also come down next week and we'll head to Universal once or twice to use us the last week of our annual passes. We definitely got our use out of it and it was very fun.

Then, it's my 21st birthday!!!! That will probably be uneventful, but fun, nonetheless. I hope to catch up with some friends this week and keep it a relaxing break before returning to a very difficult upcoming semester (anatomy and physiology 1, organic chemistry, and dynamics of aging -- fun?? I think so). I hope everyone enjoys the holiday season and stays safe. =)