Posted by Elizabeth

Although it seems like just yesterday, I returned home exactly six months ago from my ’round-the-world adventure.  At that time I set some pretty ambitious goals for change for myself, and now feels like a good time to issue myself a “progress report” and see how I’ve done.

E = Excellent   M = Meets Expectations    N = Needs Improvement  U = Uh-oh

1. Maintain a life stripped down to the bones                                                         N
2. Start a garden                                                                                                                   E
3. Explore one’s own “backyard”                                                                                 M
4. Clean house from top to bottom                                                                              N
5. Get in the best shape of one’s life                                                                             N
6. Begin a regular yoga practice                                                                                    N
7. Explore Buddhist culture                                                                                            M
8. Learn the samba                                                                                                              E
9. Maintain progress with Spanish                                                                               U
10. Catch up on all the movies missed in previous year                                        E
11. Start a new blog                                                                                                               E
12. Give more freely of time and money                                                                      M
13. Kill cable                                                                                                                             M
14. Reconnect with friends and family                                                                          E
15. Read more                                                                                                                          N

Comments:

How'd I do?

Overall, Elizabeth has made solid progress this term.  She met her goal of starting a backyard garden, exceeding her anticipated agricultural skill development by volunteering at a local organic farm and completing an unpaid “internship” at The Jobe Family homestead.  This is obviously a strong interest area, and will undoubtedly be an area for continued growth.  After employing an aggressive viewing schedule with the assistance of Netflix, Elizabeth has watched every movie of interest that she missed in the previous year; her subscription will ensure that she never falters again.  She wishes the same could be said of her reading list.  Elizabeth has made concerted efforts to reconnect with friends and family, as evidenced by five weeks of West coast travel this spring; increased phone calls, emails, and letters; and more local social visits.   She has also broadened her circle and created new friendships.  Elizabeth is making steady progress towards exploring her local environment, after taking several weekend trips and demonstrating increased curiosity and investment in her city.  She has identified this as an area for continued growth in the second term.

Elizabeth needs improvement in several key areas.  Despite her best efforts to get in the best shape of her life, she still can’t fit into her old jeans.  A new approach is required in the second term, which may include different exercises and less pie.  As a first step, Elizabeth enrolled in a samba class, and can now be found shimmying at the Maple Street Dance Studio the last Monday of each month.  Additionally, Elizabeth is planning on recommitting herself to a regular yoga practice.  While her house still hasn’t been cleaned from top to bottom, Elizabeth is eliminating this goal from her list in the second term, determining it “not critical at this time.”  While Elizabeth has made concerted efforts in simplifying her life, there is still much progress to be made in this area.  Her life still feels too complicated, and a greater examination of the components of simple living is required.