Here comes a new year. What am I to do with it?
When I was working I always moved forward and progressed by setting goals. I had a great system to ensure the goals were met or even exceeded. Since full retirement, goals have now faded into the past. With all the time for contemplation the pandemic has afforded me (all of us), I’ve realized I’ve accomplished so little.
There are two areas in which I’ve been wanting to do more. One, is simply to do more exploring (with Telegraph Cove being the ultimate destination). Two, is to complete-and-print more photography projects. If I’m being entirely honest, there’s even a third thing I’ve wanted to do: collaborate on a project. Realistically, I should simply set some specific goals. That way, I’d definitely get some of these ‘thoughts’ accomplished. But I’m in a rut and feel as I’ve gone dormant. I’m latent but feel capable of being activated (which is the definition of ‘dormant’ in the dictionary). Perhaps I should simply accept that I’m in the winter season of changes, in the way Sean Tucker discusses in his video about his photographic journey.
I’m sharing this in hopes that writing it out and putting it out there, I may be embarrassed enough to just get at it. So far, that’s not working.
Have you ever heard of The Wise Photo Project? Begun by legacy photographer Kenneth Wajda, the goal is to create photographs, portraits of seniors, that otherwise would not be created and therefore wouldn’t exist. I mean, how often do you see professional photographs of seniors? Grandparents and great-grandparents? Very few, if any. I’d love to do something like this … but I still don’t seem to have the motivation.
Austin Kleon is someone I enjoy checking in on, whether at his website or his newsletter. Something he does has intrigued me and now, just this week, I’ve adopted one of his ideas and plan to do it (at least) for the entire year of 2022. He keeps a number of different types of journals but the one that I’m taking on is his ‘quote journal.’ He wrote down one good line he heard or read, every day. Notice that some of his favourites were things his kids said. I went out and purchased a little pocket sized diary so I’d be committed to doing the same thing. What I love about his way of doing it, he doesn’t specifically seek out quotes of famous people but relies on things he hears people say (including in his family) or things he’s read in newspapers or books. I already have two entries in my little journal. It’s a start.
So, tell me. What are you going to do with this upcoming new year?
I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.
Eric Roth
it sounds to me like you have a wonderful plan. as a person with a quote obsession, i absolutely love the one you’ve included in this post. the diary you’ve begun is a wonderful idea. not only will it be profitable for what you use online, but it will no doubt have an intimately private side from which you will personally benefit.
This coming year is going to be filled with many goals, including retiring and tying up loose ends, getting the house prepared for selling, and moving to a community that I am sure to enjoy. I have spent my entire life in one community and seeing its ups and downs has been gratifying and heart-breaking at times. It will be hardest to retire, which means I must have put too much into my career. I can only hope that retirement affords me the opportunity to broaden my horizons and do a lot more traveling. The quote project is an interesting project. I have pocket calendars that shared quotes of people and those that I like I wrote down in a Word document. The wise photo project I seemed to have started by accident as my mother asked that I take numerous photos of her sitting on this throne-like chair at my brother’s house on Christmas. 🙂
Here’s to a Happy and HEALTHY New Year to you and your family!
Good, thought provoking post. In recent years, I’ve set up lists of goals to accomplish through the year and find I start and then never finish. Last year I set up these goals by month and I found I never re-visited the list! Maybe this year I don’t pre-plan these goals and set them up at the beginning of the month.
Ala the Senior Project – I’m considering travel to visit college friends and taking their portraits. I like the concept of taking photos of my elderly parents and could expand that to include their friends.