Bonne Année! Happy New Year!
I know, it’s already the 3rd, but we’ve only just returned from our little holiday. We had a wonderful time celebrating with family, but it’s always nice to be home, isn’t it?
I’m a very goal-driven individual, and usually the thought of embarking on the adventure of a New Year inspires me. There’s a “clean slate” feeling that comes with each new “year diary” I purchase : yet to be filled pages of dates where I’ll be noting and scheduling everything. As I fill in the pages with birthdays and anniversaries (lest they be forgotten), I find myself thinking about the things I’d like to achieve during the coming year, as well as taking stock of all that I did the previous year.
January 1st also usually means calculating my yearly running mileage and training information. It’s fun to compare my averages, the long runs and speed work, and see how I’ve improved. I just can’t bring myself to do it, at least I haven’t yet. Being out the last 7+ weeks of 2008 hit me pretty hard (as you know and are probably sick of reading about!) and I feel so frustrated not knowing when I’ll be able to get back to training, which goes back to me being a goal-driven person. I can’t schedule a new race or set any goals for myself as I’m dwelling in the purgatory of the injured reserve. Alas.
There is some good news on the “My Left Foot” front, however. I can now go up and down stairs. Very exciting stuff indeed. For the past four days I’ve seen a real improvement, and hope that with PT beginning on Monday I’ll be running (maybe) sooner than later. I’d hoped to be running by my birthday, the 9th, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen.
The exciting news is that I was able to try a little yoga, and it was ok! I knew WoYoPracMo (World Yoga Practice Month) was coming up, and I’d planned on participating pre-foot breakage.
I managed a 10 minute practice on the 1st, and worked up to 25 minutes yesterday! How exhilarating it felt to be moving for the first time since November 12th! If you’re not familiar with WoYoPracMo, you can find out anything and everything with a Google search, or just click on the above logo. Yoga Mum created this specific community last year (I got in just after January) and it’s a wonderful resource. There’s also a supportive community of yoginis & yogis to help you stay motivated if you’re thinking about giving WoYoPracMo a try. I’m really excited that I can participate, even if I’m rather shy of my usual 45min to 1 1/2 hour practice. Some yoga is better than no yoga at all!
And now for the resolutions! I know many find that the idea of a New Year’s resolution is foolish, even hypocritical : why not change when we feel we need to? Why wait for an arbitrary date on the calendar to take action? Me, I like resolutions. I like to think of them more as goals to be cultivated and nurtured throughout the year. I’ve managed to make many positive changes thanks to deciding to cultivate a new habit on January 1st.
When I was 13, I decided to write my Grandfather once a week so I’d be sure he received some happy mail. Poor man probably grew tired of reading the same adolescent drivel, going on about dance, school, and of course boys, but with a few exceptions I continued writing him (in addition to calling of course!) until he died in 1996.
Another successful resolution was to stop biting, playing with and otherwise disfiguring my fingernails, resolution January 1995. My mum still laughs when she sees my now mostly-taken care of hands as she remembers the way they looked when I was young.
I feel a bit disappointed in myself, because I don’t really have a resolution for this year. I have many things I want to accomplish, but I can’t pinpoint one thing I want to change. I guess the list is too long! I’d like to be a better person : a better wife and mother, a better vegan and teacher…laudable, but vague. This is the first year that I don’t have something concrete, and it’s a little strange. I’m giving myself a little more time, because I’m sure something will come to me!
I don’t really make resolutions because I always disappoint myself in not keeping them. BUT I do my best every day to try to be happy and to be kind and considerate to others as that is what will eventually make me my best.
I do have a very optimistic outlook for the new year and hope for great things to happen. I am definitely a glass half full kinda girl (hmm, and Grumpy is half empty….go figure. he he)
Happy new year to you Shelly and I look forward to your posts!! I love reading your blog!
This is wonderful!! I wish you the best in 2009, dear Shelly.
Happy 2009! I wish you the best =)
Happy foot news! I’d love to start running again by your birthday, too. It’s been a VERY long time since my first marathon in 2000, and I’ve done little running since. I need it so much, especially now.
May we be off and running this new year!!
Happy New Year! I am going to keep my fingers crossed about your foot. The 9th is still about a week away so you never know – perhaps a little jog might be possible!
Great resolution for your Grandpa. I need to do the same. Since he moved out to Australia he is a little lonely. I often get so busy that I don’t have time to drop him a line frequently. I think my resolution will be to write something small everyday. Even if it is just what I had for lunch.
Happy New Year Shelly!! YAY for going up and down stairs and double YAY for doing some yoga! Don’t despair, you will be back to 100% in no time, now that you can be more active!
I have one resolution, nothing major, but I want to try new ingredients and foods that I’ve been to scared to try before. Brussels sprouts were my first attempt, and it was quite successful! Good luck with whatever resolution you come up with!
Yoga month–what a great idea! I’m picking up yoga again this month, but I’m not sure how to try at home. And congrats on the stairs–that’s huge!
I love that you wrote letters to your Grandfather! What a sweet story. I am sure it meant so much to him.
Ciao Shel !Happy new year to you and your fishes !! I’m glad you are seeing things get better with your foot and I’m sure you’ll be running faster than you imagine !! I’m usually bad at keeping resolutions, this year I’ll think well before I take one !!!Baci
Shelly, thank you for the shout out! I happen to think WoYo is pretty great because of the wonderful people like YOU who are over there!
Hugs!
Happy 2009, and congrats on the great stairs milestone, and yoga practise! I think it’s wonderful that you wrote to your grandfather weekly. . . what a great grandchild. Whatever you decide to resolve this year, I’m sure it will be just as good. Bonne annee, amie!
i like resolutions too, Shelly – but i haven’t really thought of one yet either. i’ll be a late starter with you – and i think that’s a-okay! being the best you can be is an excellent resolution though! i quite like that one! awesome!
i have a feeling that with all the PT (yay for yoga AND both ways on the stairs! doublew00t!) & positive thinking you’ll be back running before you know it. i’m keeping my fingers crossed for you – on both hands…
happy new year to you, Shelly! may 2009 bring all that you wish it to!
Hooray on starting up on the yoga! I’m sure the PT will make a big difference and you’ll be back to your old self soon. With my craziness in the last month I’m just now feeling ready to push myself in workouts again and it feels so good. It’s a great holiday food detox.
je suis si contente de voir que ton pied va mieux! tout sera de retour a la normale tres bientot, quel soulagement.
et pas de stress pour trouver une resolution qui te botte, ca viendra tout naturellement. mais tu sais deja ca.
All the best for 2009! Hope you’ll be running again soon.
Shelly – instead of counting your mileage from the past year, you should look at how FAR you have come since your injury! Cast off, doing stairs, and now going up and down – that is a great improvement! Perhaps there are no resolutions this year, but maybe you can look ahead at where you will be a year from now running/mobility wise. Maybe a full marathon isn’t in the works, but what about the possibility of doing a half in the fall (do you have fall there?). It might be walk and run, with more walk than run, but what an awesome accomplishment that would be
And yoga is so awesome and will help get all your muscles working again in a gentle way. Have you thought about water running? That could help too 
Happy new year! I’m sure that many, many more good things are in store for you this year.
I completely understand your attitude toward resolutions! However, I haven’t made any for the past couple of years. Last year went pretty well with me just winging it. Good luck coming up with yours for 2009!
C’est bien vrai qu’un peu de yoga et mieux que pas de yoga! Bonne annee!!!
Happy new year! I haven’t really made any resolutions as I never keep them. But it is probably time to dust off my gym card!!
Don’t worryu about not having resolutions! I’m trying that this year too. I”m also very goal driven, but I’m trying to just let life happen these days. I tend to overplan a bit.. but I still love my planner too.
Glad your foot is doing better!