New Year's Resolutions

I was going to do another house (only two left!) but I am having technical difficulties and Dave is out of town, so I am moving on to something I have been thinking about for awhile.

I don't usually make New Year's Resolutions because I always have things I am already working on. The new year is a good time to evaluate how I am doing on whatever I am working on at the time, but I add and delete items as needed throughout the year. Hopefully, someday I will accomplish and become all that I want to do and be, but realistically it won't happen in this lifetime. Some items go off my list because they have been accomplished--sometimes they come back on because I need to work on them again. I am reminded of a story I heard in Sunday school. The teacher was married to a man who had been the stake president and they had several general authorities stay in their home over the years. She told our class about the time when a GA (sorry I didn't pay attention soon enough to register who it was) was eating dinner with her family. He was explaining how we work on something, and when we master that we work on the next thing. One of her daughters said to the general authority, "You must be perfect by now." He replied, "No sweetheart, I saved the hard ones for last."

I heard Glenn Beck talking about 13 virtues that Benjamin Franklin lived by and 0ver 100 that George Washington lived by. I looked up Ben Franklin's and have posted them on my wall. If I ever get these 13 under control I will move up to Washington's list. A lot of Franklin's were already on my list--he just expresses them more eloquently. Here is the list if you are interested:

Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversations.
Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; that is, waste nothing.
Industry: Lose not time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly; speak accordingly.
Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think you deserve.
Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes or habitation.
Tranquility:Be not disturbed at trifles or accidents common or unavoidable.
Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

My main goal for this year is to finally finish my thesis. I am tired of it hanging over my head and just want to be done! So sometime this year look for a posting about GRADUATION. I am hoping that writing this goal for everyone to read will encourage me to get it done. I have had some very good reasons to let it slide at times, but excuses have become a habit and there are always many things to do instead of work on it. So if anyone wants to know more about Life Course Theory, I should be an expert pretty soon and will suspend the virtue of silence long enough to drive you crazy:)