We are halfway through 2014 which is crazy. Back in January, I decided to do something a little different with my resolutions. In case you missed it, here is the original post. Before I move on to my goal list for the word “create” – I wanted to recap my “connect” goals.
Be the best wife ever. Well, you’d have to ask J how I did, but I definitely made an attempt. We have no phone dates as often as possible. I have been sure to send him little notes whenever I’m thinking about him. I’ve been trying to pack his lunch or put his movies first in the Netflix queue. It’s the little things.
Send letters. Check. This is something I will continue to do often. It was so much fun to think of random reasons to send someone a little something.
Become a better part of the community. Hmmm… I guess this was a fail. I have to do more research and get myself out there a little bit more.
Be present and intentional during social outings. You can read that as “PUT DOWN THE PHONE.” It’s crazy how hard it is to do this, but if you are very aware – you can do it. I noticed a difference in the conversations and the amount of information I gathered while we were out. This was especially important when we were visiting Minnesota because I wanted to soak them all in.
Meet new people. I did OK at this. We have been saying yes whenever we can. I will eventually write an entire post about making new friends as an adult because I have a ton of thoughts on this.
Be a good neighbor. I’ve been using the Be Nice Box to help give me ideas on how to reach out to more neighbors. We love the building we live in, especially the dog park.
Appreciate our friends. I think this is a forever project. It’s so important to make sure that the people in your life know how much you love them. Sending mail has been one of my favorite ways to do this. Also, we have been savoring our visits with out of towers.
Support local businesses and projects of other friends. This is one of my favorites because it involves eating and shopping. Duh.
Spread the love and practice random acts of kindness. This is another ongoing important practice for everyone. I’m continuing my subscription for the Be Nice Box because it gives me the best ideas and hints.
So there you have it. If you missed the recap on clean, you can find it here.
i totally agree with the no phone date thing (i agree with all of your goals) but i've seen too many people – family, couples etc – not talking because they're too busy playing with their phone/tablet etc.
-kathy
Vodka and Soda
oh my gosh, yes to the 'put down the phone' we are really good about doing that when we're eating or together, but with other people sometimes i look up and the whole group is on their phone.
I typically use my phone to snap a pic, which I will then upload to social media when I'm in line for the bathroom, if my friend is in the bathroom, or after I leave. Aside from pic use I don't typically play around on it. My friends and family have gotten used to me photographing EVERYTHING from the time I was about 12 years old so they're used to it after 25 years. Sometimes it's a phone now instead of an actual camera. hahaha
I think you can count the be nice box towards the getting involved with community too. Gifting a be nice box is on my to do list for next week!
You met me! you met me! I count as part of your list! 🙂 I want to do better about supporting local businesses… I know they're out there but I don't take the time to visit them!
I'm having the hardest time wrapping my head around the fact that 2014 is half over!! I loooove the goals you've set yourself! It's already got my wheels spinning for the goals I'd like to set for next year!
Ooh, I'm excited for your making friends as an adult post! That's been on my mind a lot lately, and I've tried a few things, but not had much success yet. And I absolutely agree that people should spend more "phoneless" time together. I hate having dinner with someone who interacts more with their phone than with the people who are physically present.
I seriously love your list and it definitely as prompted me to make some little goals similar to a lot of these! I agree that being the best wife ever has a lot to do with all of the little things 🙂
Ditto what Erin said – you met ME too! Excellent job on this goal!
I love this! I too have been trying to connect more. I made a list of changes that I wanted to make in my 35th year of life & some of these things are on it.