Me! Me! I am! I love projects!

My big goal for 2021 is to rebuild my momentum. Can I talk about momentum for a moment? When I was hospitalized for postpartum depression in 2013, the therapists talked incessantly about momentum. Their favorite analogy was getting off a chair. If you never get off the chair, standing up seems impossible. But if you get up once today, it will be easier to get up tomorrow. If you keep doing little things, those little things will turn into big things. The therapists kept telling the patients that momentum was a huge part of mental health. At the time, I remember thinking they were just a wee bit obsessed with momentum.

Seven and a half years later, I get it.

Take crochet. I wanted to crochet something more exciting than a scarf. To be precise: a sweater. But a sweater just seemed so damn intimidating. For years, I wanted to make sweaters (I knit and crochet) and for years, I kept making scarves. Scarves are lovely but how many scarves do you need in Southern California? But everyone needs sweaters! Yes, even Californians! Yet the thought of starting a sweater seemed insurmountable. I would have to pick a pattern and what if the pattern was confusing? Or what if I figured out the first half but then got stuck? What if I ran out of yarn? and couldn’t get more???

Last fall, I finally picked a pattern, bought some yarn, and started crocheting a sweater for myself. It was very simple. Just three rectangles sewn together. It’s actually more of a blanket with armholes than a sweater. But I did it, and even though I kept making mistakes and had to start over several times, I finished it and damn, that felt good.

Starting my second sweater was much easier. And this time, it has sleeves! This sweater is for Pippa, and even though I have also made lots of mistakes, and had to start over multiple times, I am growing more confident. Now I have visions of owning several handmade sweaters and I already have the yarn for my next two sweaters.

Long story short, momentum is important. That’s why I want to focus on it in 2021. Between the pandemic and distance learning, the first half of 2020 sure did a number on my momentum. But I spent the second half doing more projects and that felt good. Projects are my happy place and when I’m working on a project, it increases my momentum. And so, in 2021, I am embracing ALL THE PROJECTS.

Without further ado, the projects I am tackling in 2021are:

• Quitting soda. All year. Is this really a project? Meh, it’s probably more of an aspiration. But if I call it a project, it feels fun! So let’s call it a project.
• I am going to blog every weekday (except holidays) (although today is a holiday and I’m blogging anyway) (because I was too excited to wait for Monday!)
• Finish the Room Mom novel that I started in November. I am going to revise it as much as I can and then hire an editor. And when the novel is done, I’ll publish! Woot woot!
• Learn French on the Duolingo app. I learned a lot of French in 2020 but I want to double down on my lessons in 2021 and finish the fifth level of French lessons on Duolingo.
• Tap Dance at least 100 times in 2021. I have wanted to tap dance pretty much my entire life. I even bought tap shoes in 2020 and posted a pretty photograph of them on Instagram. But did I ever use those shoes after posting the photo? No, I did not. I just had this vague goal to learn how to tap dance and so I kept procrastinating. Next week, next month, next year… Well, it’s next year and I’m ready! I feel called to tap and damnit, I’m going to answer that call. I put on my shoes today after lunch, queued up a YouTube lesson, and tapped. It felt good and right.
• Roller skate at least 50 times in 2021. Roller skating is another thing I have yearned to do but I have always found lots of excuses to not do it. I went roller skating at a rink once with Pippa in 2019 and it was soooo fun. I want more fun this year! So yesterday, I ordered myself a pair of roller skates. I often take the kids to a park with a great area for roller skating, so damnit, skating is happening.
• Play the piano at least 100 times. I have a mental block from childhood piano lessons. I feel like if I am sitting down to play, I need to play classical music for a long time. But hey, I just want to enjoy the flow of making music. If that means playing a song from The Little Mermaid for five minutes, then hey, that’s what I’ll do. Piano does not have to be about scales and Beethoven.
• Post on Instagram daily. I enjoy Instagram so why not take the two minutes to post something every day.
• Walk An Average of 12,000 steps/day. Last year, I averaged over 11,000 steps per day. Today, I have already walked 16,000+ steps so I’m off to a good start!
• Do A Tarot Card Reading Weekly. This is something I like to do when I’m journaling but I often forget about it. It’s a great way to connect with my intuition and I’m always looking for ways to strengthen my relationship with my intuition.
• Read 100 Books For Myself. I read over 130 books in 2020, but only about 75 of those books were for me. The rest were chapter books for my kids. I was a little braindead from the pandemic but I’d like to get back into reading as ass shit ton (which is just the way I like it).
• Do 25 Craft Projects. For me. I love crafting, so I want more of it in my life. I have a whole list of craft projects but I’ll save that for another post.
• Try 100 New Recipes. I made cinnamon rolls for the first time for breakfast today. One down, ninety-nine to go.
• Go Down 100 Slides. These do not have to be different slides. So theoretically, I could go down the same slide at a park 100x in a row and call it a project. But I’m setting a rule that I can only go down the same slide once on any given day. The point here is to be playful and have fun. It’s so easy when I go to the park with my kids to stand off to the side and stare at my phone. But slides are fun! So what if I look a little crazy?
• 50 Different Places. We were not able to go to a lot of places in 2020, but going to different places fills me joy and energy. I will try to make as many of these places new as possible but if I have not been somewhere in over a year, it counts. Also, the point is to go somewhere different. It does not have to be something grandiose like a museum. A new grocery store counts. I just have to get out of the rut of going to the same parks and Starbucks on endless repeat.
• French Braid My Hair 100 times. I want to learn how to French braid my hair. You know how I will? Practice, practice, practice.

Stay tuned for future reports about my 2021 projects.