Streams in a Wasteland

4th week update

Well, here I am with my 3rd (!) update of the month! I have found that updating helps me refocus and be inspired all over again with the goals I had set for this year. So, to give the lowdown since the last post I have:

-Kept up with all but the last week of my tithing. Seems bad but for me it's good because even though I fell 2 and a half weeks behind, I still tallied it up and tithed. Yay!

-Ran a total of 14 miles. I'm much further behind than I had intended for January so far but I'm honestly not even mad because even though I haven't run as much as I would like, I've added a few workouts throughout the month. For a seasoned athlete, it seems paltry, but for someone starting to implement new habits, I'm actually proud of myself. And I don't say that often. As the months get warmer I'm sure I will catch up with the mileage. And I'm excited about that! :)

-Picked back up the Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus book. Again, I am behind on my reading, but I will not allow myself to grow discouraged and give up. I will probably have to go a few days into February with my reading, but that's ok! Progress is progress.

-Read at least something in my Bible every day. I'm extremely happy about this one, as it's been a while since I've gone so many days with consistently reading. Granted, some days have only been 1 or 2 verses, but it's something! I fell a little behind with my read through the Bible in a year plan, but I'm slowly catching up by allowing myself to sometimes listen to it, when I don't have the time to actually sit down and read it, or if my eyes are too tired at the end of the day to focus. Surprisingly, by listening, I've been able to pick up different things that I never have before. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to focus, but I've been amazed at how much I've been able to retain and remember by just listening. For the most part though, I like to actually read it myself.

-Only written 2 pieces of poetry this month, which puts me 2 behind. I'm not super upset about this. I haven't decided if I'm going to try to write 2 more to equal 4 for January or not. I'll let you know!

-Prepared more meals and eaten out less. I have made a lot of progress in this area, but it doesn't feel like it because all the money I would have saved on not eating out, I made up for in having to pay for a new crown for my tooth and house cleaning supplies. Again, I'm not going to let that discourage me. I still have to work out the kinks in my budget and this is part of it.

-Journaled once per week. The entries were brief, but present nonetheless!

-Memorized the first 8 verses of Psalm 22! I'm not exactly sure if I will be able to have the complete half of the Psalm memorized by the 31st but I'm going to at least try! To keep myself accountable, I will work on the next 2 verses of Psalm 22 tonight and tomorrow.


As I have discovered by going back over my goals, I'm starting to realize it's all about finding what works. The biggest lesson I'm trying to learn is to not become discouraged that my goals and actions are not lining up perfectly. I'm slowly but surely moving forward towards the goals, and that's what really matters. Perfection doesn't. It may not seem like much, but I know as each month draws to a close, if I feel the same or better than I do now, it will be a win in my book. :)

Mid January Update

Tithe Consistently- I tithed last sunday but not this past sunday. On my way back from Athens I will tally how much I need to tithe and give it online.
Read through the Bible- I've kept up every day, sometimes saving the Genesis chapters for the next day. I have 2 chapters from Genesis to read and then todays Genesis chapters. So I've kept up so far. Yay!
Run 500 miles- I've done 6.1. Ideally I would have liked to have more done but my toes have not handled the sudden activity well and so I've had to let them heal. Tomorrow I will get back on track and do 3 miles.
Read at least one book per month- I just decided today the book I'm going to read. It's called Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus. As soon as I get home from Athens I will start it.
Plan/cook more meals, eat out less- I've done better in the last two weeks but I'm still not down to two meals eating out per week.
Write one piece of poetry per week- Haven't done this one. Will work on 2 pieces this week.
Journal once per week- I have done this. I only have one journal entry, so I will have to write one this week.
Blog once per month- Here I am! lol. I think I may try to do once per week, just to check up on myself. But if I don't, no big deal.
*Memorize one verse per week- This is one I decided to add after I wrote my post of goals. So far I have not kept up, but that's because I just decided to start doing it. So I will be working on Psalm 22. (See below)

*I think I would like to start setting monthly goals as well. So for the month of January, I will work on the above and also add memorize at least half of Psalm 22.

Because I'm not in a quiet place where I can think I'm sure this post is full of errors and feels rushed, as it is. I will come back and give a better, more thorough update when I am in a place where I can focus!

2015

In the year 2015 I would like to accomplish the following: