Looking Forward to 2017

So here we are four weeks into 2017. On each January 1^st, we all can’t help but wonder what the next year will be bring, and most people’s thoughts turn to New Year’s resolutions. As anyone who knows me is aware, I am not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. It has been my contention that if there is something in my life that needs changing, why in the world would I wait until January 1^st of the next year to do something about it?!! That being said, as I get older, I have found that about the last week of the year, I start to think about what I did well in that year, what I didn’t do so well, and what I really dropped the ball on. My mind scrolls through what worked and what didn’t work. What do I want to take into the next year, and what do I want to leave behind?

So the last week of 2016, I was on a roll with these thoughts, and by January 1, 2017, I had such a grand list of things (not resolutions, mind you) to improve upon, acquire, pursue, and achieve. 2017 was going to be fantastic! Needless to say, by about January 10, I was completely exhausted. God did not create enough time in the day for me to do all of these awesome things! What I also realized pretty quickly was that God did not create me to do all of the things I had on my self-imposed list of self-improvement. This was followed by a period of lamenting, which included a fair amount of pouting and self-pity. After all, my plans were so awesome! After a few days of this, there were a few things that “floated” to the top of my list as priorities. One is a ministry I am involved in at church, one is my health, and one is home improvements/home maintenance. I decided I could live with that list. So in moving forward, I thought it would be fun to share our 2017 home improvement/home maintenance experiences with you all.

Looking over the past year, my husband and I realized that we had every good intention regarding home improvement projects and upkeep, and while we did the basic things and a few major projects, there was still a lot left undone…..little things that could be easily spread out over the year and really benefit us in the long run. For example, our home is almost fifty years old and still has the original electrical outlets (and not nearly enough of them, in my opinion). Some of them have been replaced, but there is no good reason why all of them have not been done. Another bigger project is our back screened in deck. It is still in decent shape, but it needs to be resealed, and the screen needs to be replaced. We know this, but it is not so bad that it has become a huge concern. However, there is no reason to let it go another year. The time, cost and effort we put into it this spring will save us more on those things in the long run.

So for 2017, we intend to break out our projects by month, grouping together monthly projects that work into our schedule and budget. We are in the process of writing out this plan (because I feel writing something down is a big step in making it happen), taking into account cost, time-frame, and whether we can do it ourselves or we have to hire a professional. If you are not a homeowner, I would encourage you to find something in your life to which you can apply this ….maybe it is organizing your home, getting into shape, healthy eating, financial well-being….taking a list of tasks or goals that can seem too big to tackle and breaking them into smaller, more manageable projects can really pay off over a 12 month period of time. It seems like a simple concept, but one I seem to forget quite easily. Keep in mind, it’s never too late to get started, and you can start this any time of the year!