May: Progress on My Goals for This Year (Part 1)

Dear May,

Many thanks for making a beautiful appearance this year, May. After last year living in Grand Rapids and it felt like the Ides of March were still upon us, I wondered if you'd ever return. But I'm glad that with the change of scenery, you made a brilliant debut this year, filled with plenty of sunshine, blue skies and honeysuckle bushes in bloom everywhere you walk. I even broke a sweat, wore shorts a couple of times and turned on the air conditioning. A performance like no other, May!

Looking forward to seeing you again next year.

Sincerely,
Carmen

Yes, May certainly lived up to her name, bringing ample bouquets of flowers. But she also brought me another month into my goals for the year: the list of 27 things to do while I'm 27.

It's good for me to read back over these goals and intentionally reflect on how I've been working toward them. A list only sounds exciting for so long before it starts to turn stale and go limp. I think that's the reason why "New Year Resolutions" never work--the thrill wears off quickly. That would likely already be the fate of this nascent list of mine, if it weren't for sitting down to pen these updates (and we're only through month #2!), which help me remember and focus back on the goals I set.

So here's the first section of my little accountability report, chronicling some of the strides made toward completing these goals during the past month. (Feel free to skip ahead to Part 2 of this month's update, if you like.)

Goal #24: Take picnics!
Well, we haven't had a proper picnic yet, however there have been a couple of good intentions and baby steps in that direction. Both times, we've packed our bags and readied our striped picnic blanket for their springtime debut.

The first time, we were headed to an evening Shakespeare play performed at the park down the street from our house. Everyone arrives early to stake out their spot in the outdoor amphitheater and as they wait for the play's kickoff at sundown, they have a leisurely dinner out of their picnic basket. When we arrived, all the picnic spots were taken and we had to squeeze onto folding chairs in the back. We still ate our dinner (including our first watermelon of the season!), but it was on our laps. Not quite the ambiance for a picnic, but I appreciated it a couple hours later while the play was in full swing and I had a chair to lean back on!

The second time was last weekend, when Michael and I had some time to kill before heading out to a wedding rehearsal. (Michael performed the song during the ceremony while the bride and groom lit their unity candle and took communion. Did you know he was a musician? Check out more of his music
here!) Michael knew of the perfect place to stage the picnic, since we were heading up to his hometown stomping grounds. The only problem? It had rained the day before and so the ground was sopping. We still ate outside, but at a table under one of those picnic shelters.

We'll get a real picnic, sooner or later!

Now, read Part 2 of my update on my progress with goals for May.

Related Posts
My List of 27 Things to Do While I'm 27
April Progress on My Goals This Year

{ calendar image credit | picnic basket credit }