Hello 2016!

I think this is the very first year that I didn't make New Year Resolutions - or set new goals for the new year. Or even make a list of things I wanted to do and places I wanted to go. We've had super cold weather in normally sunny Southern California and my husband hasn't been able to play golf every weekday as usual so I've been improvising to keep him from dying of boredom. The greens are frozen!

I have to say - boredom is something that I simply cannot fathom. My children knew it was a word they didn't say in my hearing because I had lots of solutions for that condition. I'm not sure I have ever been bored a day in my life because I always have a list of things that is never fully accomplished. But here I am, making lists of things we can do to keep him from slipping into depression. He suffers from that seasonal disorder that is so aptly named: S.A.D.  I even bought him a "sunshine" lamp that he is supposed to shine in his face for 30 minutes a day to replicate the sunshine he isn't getting. Don't think it helped much.

We've put together puzzles, driven to an outlet mall and wandered around, then had lunch and drove home. Nice to be together and lunch was good, but after Christmas, how much shopping can you do!? We even watched all the Star Wars movies in order before my grandson took them back to the Coast Guard Academy after his Christmas vacation so we could go see the new one. I felt so weird watching TV in the day time! Something that I never do!

He'd be happy to go to lunch every day just to get out of the house but eating out isn't as enjoyable for me anymore since I'm off sugar, white flour, additives and preservatives and am trying to do all organic to prevent the recurrence of cancer so there are only a few places I feel comfortable eating. Then, of course, there is the expensive factor! :)

 But back to those resolutions or goals. President Thomas S. Monson said something that makes perfect sense regarding the subject:

1. When we deal in generalities, we shall never succeed.
2. When we deal in specifics, we shall rarely have a failure.
3. When performance is measured, performance improves.
4. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of performance accelerates.

So as I finally have a minute to sit down alone and think about where I want 2016 to take me and what I want/need/plan to accomplish in this new year, I need to keep those four things in mind. I promise I'll be specific, I'll devise a way to measure my success, and I'll report on progress and success in December. Guess the first thing on my list is making a new list of things to do and places to go to keep my hubby from going off the deep end until he can get back on the golf course and his daily five mile walk. Or until it is warm enough for him to go back to working in the yard and garden.