Goals for Spring 2017
I don’t know what I think about new year’s resolutions. One one hand I love the time of reflection, and thinking about where I’d like the next year to go. On the other, I think if you want to make a lasting change in your life, why wait for 1st January when you could start today?
I turn 25 on 11th April 2017 and that feels like quite a milestone. Spring is always more energetic than the cold winter months anyway, so rather than setting goals for the new year, I’ve set some for completion by around then instead.
I’d like to tell you they are little things I’d like to achieve, but actually, they’re some of the biggest things I’ve ever done (and possible will ever do) in my life!
Go big or go home huh?!
That actually brings me swiftly onto my first Spring goal:
BUY OUR FIRST HOME TOGETHER
I am trying desperately to not count my chickens, but we are so so close to getting into our first house! We’re moving out of the flat this weekend, and can store all our boxes and furniture in the barn opposite our front door practically, which will be so useful as we’re hoping to have the mortgage survey sorted in the next 2 weeks and then get the keys – eek!
I am so overwhelmed by the whole process, we’ve gone from viewing it as a pie in the sky “we could never ever afford this but we’ll view it anyway as inspiration for the future” to walking through the front door, my heart in my mouth because I loved it. We went from offering stupidly less than the asking price to slowly winding our way up to the maximum we could possibly afford if we scraped every single penny from every bank account we owned. That was also relying on it taking a few months to save up the huge cost of fees too (as in, over £7k more on top of our deposit just for solicitors, broker, estate agent and stamp duty!) 6 months later, after battles with another bidder, waiting for some legalities to be sorted and a huge amount of too-ing and fro-ing, we’ve sold the flat, and will, fingers crossed, be in before the month ends!
TRAIN FOR AND RUN A HALF MARATHON
I told my grandparents this when I visited them last night and they both looked at me as if I’d announced I’d killed someone!
I’ve always wanted to do it, and if not this year, when?
When we were younger, I watched my best friend and her now husband train, and then run, a half marathon after the toughest year of their lives. Last year, Adam and I supported his best friend run a half marathon in Plymouth. The atmosphere at both was electric. So much dedication and support and just the biggest buzz, I nearly cried, and I was a spectator!
It’s been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember, so when I saw that places had opened up for the Plymouth Half on 23 April, even though I’d barely been awake 5 minutes at the time, through sleepy eyes I booked onto it. Just like that.
Now, I’m terrified.
13.1 miles is bloody far. Especially when the most I’ve ever done is just 5 miles! I have 4 months, and have printed off what looks like a pretty good training schedule, so I’ll try my best to stick to it and get super fit in the process (well, hopefully!). I already know from my marathon in May last year that I have to be so careful of shin splints, so I’m going about it as sensibly as I can!
PLAY MY VIOLIN AT A WEDDING
This is another biggie!
I haven’t played my violin properly since I was 16.
8 years, the same length of time as the number of years that I learnt it previously.
Shit.
Rach and I have agreed to play a string duet at our friend Kate’s sister’s spring wedding in April, 8 years after our string quartet disbanded. Cue 4 new strings for Christmas and a few months of practice ahead, I’m scared I’ll have forgotten it all, but equally excited at the prospect of taking it up again. I loved playing the violin and it was my pride any joy for 8 years of my childhood, so getting back into the swing of things will be like discovering a long forgotten favourite possession. Either that or we’ll be awful and end up ruining the wedding, who knows?!
There are some other bits and pieces I’m looking forward to doing over the next 4 months, but these three are the goals that really stick out for me. As the nights get slowly lighter (hooray!) and we wait out the end of winter, I’m pleased to have so much positivity to focus on into spring!
