New Year's Resolutions

I don't always make New Year's resolutions, mostly because whatever I think of usually is a temporary thing that wouldn't last the whole year or it's too big to be a New Year's resolution (such as "be a better person"; vague and undefined and more of a lifelong project, and therefore not a good resolution). This year, however, I came up with quite a few resolutions for the year that are both more defined and will also help me reach my broader goals of being a better person and living a more fulfilling life. Now that we're almost 2 months into the new year, I felt like I should assess how I am doing in keeping them and in doing so share them with the rest of the world. I have 3 main resolutions and some smaller things, so I will share the 3 big ones.

My main resolution for the 2011 is to read the entire Bible and Catechism. I found a plan online that divides it up for me into daily readings so that as long as I stick to the plan I will reach my goal. And so far I have been doing great. It's been hard for me to find time on the weekends to read, so instead of reading one day every day of the week, I don't do any readings on the weekends and I do 2 days worth of reading on Mondays and Fridays instead. It fits my schedule and my life a little bit better, and since this is my most important resolution I need to do what will work for me. I have finished reading Genesis, Exodus, Matthew, and about 1/3 of the Psalms, and a portion of the Catechism (through the beginning of the Jesus part of the Creed, if you know how the Catechism is divided). I've just started Leviticus and I think the next couple of months are going to be tough since I have Leviticus, Numbers, and then Deuteronomy coming up. They are definitely denser and more difficult to hear the Word of God in, but I will keep plugging away and hopefully be able to take away something. That is something that I sometimes have to remind myself during the more difficult readings when I don't get the point or don't know how to apply it to life today: it is the Word of God and I have to understand what that means for the different portions of the Bible. Reading the Catechism has so far been great too because it is a nice little compendium of pretty much everything the Catholic Church teaches. Not all of it is new (actually, so far not a lot is that new, probably because I grew up Catholic, and studied theology in both undergrad and grad school) but it has a lot of good information and is a good way to brush up on a lot of areas of the faith. I'm really hoping to expand my own personal knowledge of the faith and the Bible and grow spiritually as a member of the Catholic faith and as a person.

My second big resolution is to read at least one fiction and one non-fiction book each month. I could probably do more, and so far have done more, at least with the fiction books, but with a baby and hopes of finding a job at some point (see resolution #3) I thought I should stick with something that is manageable with almost any schedule and lifestyle changes. Currently I am reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy (I just finished The Hobbit) and each month I read a book for a book club I'm in, so I've read quite a few fiction books since the new year started. I've only read my requisite 2 nonfiction books but I'm hoping to add in a few more if time allows. Given my interests I've been focusing on theology books but I also want to read some history and other genres too. There are still 10 months left in the year which gives me plenty of time and options. If any one has any suggestions I'll happily take them.

Finally, my third major resolution is to find a job. After being in school for so long I'm finding the transition into employment difficult. There are many reasons for that. One, I just had a baby and so have been enjoying staying home with her. Two, I've never had a real full-time job before and so my work experience is probably slightly weaker than other people who are applying for similar positions, although my education is definitely an asset. Three, my range of opportunities is limited given my specific interests and education, which would normally be a good thing because it means I'm more qualified for those jobs, except the bad economy has caused a lot of those positions to be cut. Most churches start posting open positions later in the spring, so my hope is that I will have a job by midsummer. Maybe earlier, if positions start opening up, but technically as long as I have a job before 2012 I will succeed in fulfilling my resolution. I sincerely hope it won't take that long.

There they are, my big resolutions for 2011. Overall they are going well, or if not it is because they are out of my control at the moment.