Goals of 2012 - A Painfully Honest Review

I'm already laughing as I sit down to write.  This oughta be good.

Last Sunday I asked my yoga girls to think of a few goals for 2013 and then share them at class this morning.  Everyone had a wonderful spirit about their goals - "be a better me", "be a more patient mother", "get back to my wedding weight", "spend more quality time with my husband".

Then there's me with race dates, time goals, blogging requirements and business ventures.  I felt like The Enforcer while my beautiful friends floated above me on fluffy clouds.  Two words:  Lighten up.

So before I unleash fresh goals onto the world, let us enjoy a recap of successes and shortfalls of 2012.

2012 Goals
1.  Learn to swim for real.
Technically "I did it" and could swim a couple of laps in the pool or a decent distance at Pebble Beach but all in all - not what I thought it would be.  Not peaceful, not awesome.  If I devoted a lot more time, perhaps a romance would develop but for now, the box is ticked and I'm moving on.  Thank you Rachel for every ounce of patience I squeezed from your soul!

2.  Devote one hour per day to talk with loved ones.
This shouldn't be hard but it is.  I definitely put in more time on the phone than in 2011 but the numbers of people I want to stay in touch with has also grown exponentially.  This year my nephew was born, my amazing grandmother passed, and some of my closest friends had pretty big issues.  Those three items alone were responsible for hours and hours of talk time.  I'd say I accomplished this goal 50% of the time.

3.  Develop one discernible abdominal muscle.
I did this.  I worked down to a weight that made my face look bad - as the old adage says "You can save your ass or your face.  You cannot save both without surgery."  As I worked on this goal, I  discovered a five pound window.  At the bottom end, I have a few visible abdominal muscles and a Skeletor face.  At the top end, I have softness in my face and a mini muffin top to match.  In the end, I choose a softer face and to work like hell on the mini-muffin.

4.  Get three restaurants to offer a vegan option on their menu.
Ummm... I didn't do this.  I didn't do nothing in regard to advocacy but no, I never got a restaurant owner to change their menu.   I did talk with the manager of my grocery store and thanked him for stocking vegan cream cheese and organic tofu.  I extolled the virtues of Daiya cheese and tempeh (he nodded blankly) and I taught two of my favorite checkers how to press tofu.   I also worked my butt off to promote a new vegan restaurant here on the south coast called The Good Life.  I got to know the owner and then started taking lunch orders on Wednesdays from my co-workers and shuttling the food to the Embassy.  Regardless, I failed on the goal.  Wah-wah.

5.  Train to be a pacer at the Western States 100.
Completed!  I trained, I went, I supported, I was blown away, I cried, I was moved beyond words, I ran, I almost got ran over by a bear, and then I went RVing!   In a nutshell.  Definitely not the way I thought it was going to go but wow! A life-changing experience.  Thank God I said 'yes'!

There you have it - an approximate success rate of 65%.  I knocked off a couple points for not continuing to swim and not keeping the ab muscle visible.

I've got 24 hours left to ponder the goals for 2013.  Wait here.