It's the first week of the year 2022. It still feels awkward to type down the year 2022. You know how it was back in school when it's the start of the new year, you and your classmates always write the wrong year on your paper on the first few days. It will take some more days before you get used to writing (or typing) the new year. It's odd because in our minds, already bade farewell to the year that was and the New Year's eve celebration made it official that we are ready to start anew. Yet, we still can't shake off that habit of typing in or writing the old year. Or maybe it's just me, I don't know.
So before starting off with my new year's resolution, I'd like to try to recount if I had been successful in fulfilling last year's promises I made to myself. I may or may have not written those somewhere in the net but I know in my heart and mind that I had targets that I wanted to reach before saying goodbye to the year 2021. I know I did. Let me let you in on my personal goals last year.
Financial Targets Achieved!
Last year, I gave myself a target amount in my savings account. For personal reasons, I will not disclose that amount. It's not big, but to me, it's a big deal. I had to make this my first target last year because when I quit my job in 2018, only my salary went away. My spending habits did not catch up. Sure I'm thrifty in every way, but try being an extrovert and suddenly be stuck at home for the very first time, online shopping will surely be a stress reliever.
Of course, when the money only flows outward, and there is very little incoming flow, soon, the supply will be depleted. I thinned out my personal account just like that. So 2021 has been a financial rebuilding stage for me. I set a target that at the end of the year, I'll have that certain amount in my bank account. Happy to say I fulfilled this target. With a little more extra to the side.
Needlework targets
I am a slow crocheter. This I have come to accept. I used to envy crocheters who can whip up a project in as little time as they can. What they can do in a span of 3 days is a whole month's project for me. Before, I thought it was unacceptable. But now, I have accepted that I am a slow crocheter. That doesn't mean though that I should be contented with that. I have to somehow learn to hasten my pace even just a little bit. Especially now that I have a huge stash of yarns, thanks to Lady Luck for bringing in the favor to me in that paid raffle I hesitantly joined.
I gave myself a challenge: one project a month. Some months I have a project, some none but for the year 2021, I may have finished more crochet projects than I did in 2020 and 2019. And that to me, is an achievement in itself. After all, I am in competition with no one but my former self. Looking back to all the projects, I made, I can say I had fun making all of them. I remember singing Beauty and the Beast song while making the Belle dress, the Blippi song while I made the Blippi costume for my little girl, the Baby Shark song while I made the Baby shark costume, and the Jollibee theme while crocheting the Jollibee costume. I made amigurumi faster last year than in 2020. Still a bit too slow because I had to frog and crochet again a lot of times. Quality over quantity still.
Homeschooling targets
To be honest, the only goal I had this year for our homeschooling was to find a provider suited for our needs. What we got was not what I was hoping for but was exactly what we needed. I still am on the prowl for a better homeschooling provider though. There is a list I am checking on right now, and I think, I may have found the right one for me and my daughter. This time, I have had the taste of what homeschooling really feels like. Both I and my daughter have found our groove and we both know how to work together well already. I am confident that this time, we will be able to find what we are looking for in a homeschooling provider.
Unlike 2019 and 2020, our homeschooling targets were more flexible in 2021. We're way past learning how to write, how to read, following and relaying instructions, etc. in 2021, our target was instilling love of learning new things. The magic of discovering. My husband and I both want to make sure that our little one enjoys learning. We want to have fun studying. Sometimes, we even skip school at home. On those days, we engross ourselves in learning about music, or plants, or even chores. My 5-year old loves washing dishes and folding clothes with me. I learned that saying "Good job!" isn't just a form of appreciation, it's a form of empowerment to the little one.
One thing that amazes me the most in 2021 is my daughter learning to love reading. Now, we have formed the habit of reading before bedtime. Before, we just read short story books. Now, we have finished The Little Prince and have moved on to Mark Twain's The Prince and The Pauper. We are currently at chapter 28. I can't believe how she remembers the details, asks questions about unfamiliar words in the book, and analyzes the situations the little King is going through.
Family is Love
We lost our father last March. For a while, my world went to a halt. And even when I thought I have moved on and have come to peace that he is no longer with us, there still are random days where I find myself crying. Christmas and NYE were the hardest. His birthday was the 24th of December.
After our mourning, I realized how we may have neglected our mom. We have all been too busy taking care of our dad, even my mom forgot that we also need to take care of her. And so 2021 brought about the project spoil mom to whatever she wants. Of course, her health is always the priority. We have set her up for regular overall workup. We bought her almost everything she asks for. I mean why not? She's the only parent me and my siblings have now. We want to make sure she is pampered just the way she pampered us when we were little and the way she took care of our father to his last hours.
2021 brought about the saddest experience we could ever have. But it also brought me great realizations. It is never too late to start again. Sometimes, you also have to fall so that you will learn that you do have the strength to get up again. And in the darkest of times, help will always be there, just don't lose hope. Keep on fighting.
Now that I have already looked back to my year 2021, I am now ready to face 2022. I went through a lot. And I mean a lot. I won battles I did not talk about with anyone. I achieved the goals I set for myself. I failed. I succeeded. I cried. I laughed. I fell. I got up. Yes, I am now ready, 2022. It's already 7 days since you started, but then again, it's never too late. Happy new year!
