It’s a bit late for New Year’s Resolutions. I don’t really like them anyway, if I want to do something, I need to just get moving and do it now, not wait.

But I do like planning. Nothing like a good plan to get motivated. So here are some things I plan to do, and I will hold myself to them.

1. Take hunter lessons. The last few years I’ve been taking dressage lessons. That’s all well and good, but then I moved, and switched to a trainer that was closer. After a few lessons, I kind of soured out on it. Plus I want to to jump, damnit. I think Berry would be perfect for taking around to some low level hunter things. Additionally, ever year I want to go to the Thoroughbred Celebration Show in Lexington, and I still have yet to do it. The main reason for all this is that I don’t want to show up and look like a fool. I took hunter lessons as a kid, but it’s been years. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing anymore. It’s getting embarrassing to show up places.

Plus, I’m going to actually install a riding ring this year, so I won’t have to trailer out to school. It’s hard to be motivated when so much effort is required to practice.

2.  Run some 5ks. As in, actually run. Usually I run for like half a mile, and then I have to walk. Then I run a little more, and then I walk.

Yesterday, I was in Harris Teeter getting lunch when I saw my bus at the stop light outside. I rushed out of the store and sprinted down the sidewalk, desperate to catch it. No way was I going to wait 20 minutes for the next bus!

As I ran, the bus drove by me down to the stop. I struggled to keep running. A pair of construction workers stepped aside for me, clearly understanding the necessity of my run. It was kind of thrilling. I felt like I had wings and was flying down the sidewalk. But then the ground seemed to shift and I realized I’d been running downhill this whole time and now it was uphill. But the bus was right there on the hill, so close.

I rushed to it, panting, and the door opened. I stumbled in, and plopped down on the seat, panting.

“You run fast,” the bus driver said. No one has ever said that to me. I’ve always been the slow one, the one who would be eaten by the bear chasing everyone in the woods.

“I had to catch the bus,” I explained through panting.

“It isn’t leaving for a few more minutes,” the bus driver said.

“I guess I could have gone slower,” I said. The bus driver agreed.

It took me several minutes to stop panting, but I was on cloud nine. The run was fun, and the bus driver said I was fast!

So the point of this little story, I’d like to be fast. And I’d like to be able to run. I have two 5k’s I’m already signed up for, and I’ll find so more to do too. And I will run like the wind!

3. Work on fitness. The standard of any NY’s resolution. I’m going to the beach in March. It’s not actually a beach trip, it’s a work trip, but since they put this work trip at the beach, I think I’ll be checking out the beach! But to have a successful beach trip, one must look the part. So this kind of goes hand in hand with #2, but I need to shape up. Looking like that flying girl above would be a plus.

4. Plan an actual vacation. I’m bad at planning vacations. Usually if someone else plans one, I’ll happily go, but it’s never to do things or go places I want to see. Half the time it ends up being a cruise, and I hate cruises. They are so boring. I admit I would have seen the Bahamas, or Bermuda, or Mexico without going on a cruise, but only having 6-8 hours on shore does not grant a full experience.

What I really want to do is charter a boat down in the Caribbean to sail us around to different islands, and anchor in lagoons for us jump off and swim. Although ideally there would be someone with a harpoon to protect us from sharks. Or possibly the boat could come equipped with a shark cage, so I can swim around, and the cage will come with me. I am very scared of sharks.

5. Do amazingly at my new job. I started my new job (part of which includes running for buses at top speed), and I love it. Everyone is very very nice, and it’s a close spin off of my last job, which I loved, but different enough to have new and interesting challenges. And it includes neat things like traveling to the beach. No other trips planned currently, but the girl I’m replacing said she’s traveled all over the US for this job. I’m really excited!!

6. Keep my car cleaner. This probably sounds minor, but my car is constantly covered in a layer of filth and dirt from living on a dirt road. It’s kind of gross. Since I drive into the city for work, I appear to be the only filthy car in a crowd of shiny clean ones. It’s not an old car, and it’ll look so much nicer if it wasn’t dirty. I estimate I’ll have to wash it every week to maintain some level of clean.

7. Grow a vegetable garden. I stink at growing things. But this year, I resolve to try again. This year I will plan it better! I want to be able to eat vegetables out of my garden!

I’m looking forward to an amazing year!