The List!

I have a list! I have a list! I don't know why, but it feels so good to have a list of resolutions for 2016. Like I said, I'm pretty happy with life and I know there is a bright future in store this year; after all, we came to Luxembourg with the sole purpose to travel our faces off, which is one of my favorite things to do, so I don't have to make that goal.

And then we had this lesson in church. It was the Larry Lawrence talk from General Conference called What Lack I Yet? I was thinking, "Oh crap-attack, here it comes, the talk about asking God about what you lack and coming up with too many things to count and then you have to breathe into a paper bag because you can't handle the truth." Yes, there was that scripture about becoming perfect. That scripture makes me want to scream because it's always taken out of context. We can't be perfect in this life. Period.

So I scrolled down on my phone, reading the talk as the teacher went. Here's the paragraph that brought me back: "The Holy Ghost doesn't tell us to improve everything at once. If He did, we would become discouraged and give up. The Spirit works with us at our own speed, one step at a time, or as the Lord has taught, "line upon line, precept upon precept, ..."

Deep breath, Martha. Making resolutions is not that big of a deal. Make some and move on with your life and enjoy seeing the improvements that come your way from making an honest effort. That was my pep talk.

So, here are my 2016 resolutions!

1. Do 20 push-ups a day || Gym life is nil in Luxembourg. It is not my favorite part about this place. Gyms save my sanity, especially during the winter. So. I am doing the best I can with running. What I don't get, though, is weights. Twenty push-ups? If I don't do anything else, at least I will have done 20 push-ups.

2. Read one book a month || I finally figured out that I CAN use my Seattle Public Library eBooks here, so I've reserved a bunch and I'm excited! Few things excite me more than knowing I have a good book waiting for me.

3. Listen to one General Conference talk every Sunday || After GC every time, I think, "Oh, I'll go back and read/listen to the rest I didn't get to." Um. No. That never happens. But this time it might?

4. Learn French || NO BIGGIE.

5. Say no to stripes || I counted yesterday. I have seven striped shirts and one striped dress. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more lurking in my closet that I refused to locate. I'd just like to use this self-examination check point to encourage myself to branch out when I go shopping. I bought a sweater that makes me look like Lloyd Christmas on Dumb and Dumber and it's SO not my color (red), but I wore it all day and it made me happy. I can branch out. I can.

6. Have my home featured on Design Mom's Living With Kids series || I have some good ideas for decorating my house and I just want to get it done. The only way I'll do it is if I know pictures will be taken and shown to the world.

7. Check Instagram only two times a day || I've set this goal a few times and when I stick to it I am so much happier. Instagram can really distort my world view. But if I check it mindfully, I can be happy for the things people are showing instead of wondering if I should be doing that or eating that or thinking that or living that.

That's it!

What are yours?