This past January, I wrote a blog about my New Year’s “Resolution”. It wasn’t really a resolution, more like a list of stuff I hoped to do/wanted to do with my life during the year. And with summer coming to a close, fall starting soon, a new school year starting next week and a new blog season to kick off, I thought it was a good time for a check in on my resolution.

1) Learn from my grandma how to bake bread.

I did this one… in theory. See, my Grandma doesn’t really have a ‘bread recipe’ per se. She has a technique and a trained eye. So, my recipe has lots of approximations, visual descriptions, pictures and quotes from my Grandma. One step even says something like “Next she poured… umm… 4-6 ish cups of water into the bowl… I think… Grandma says you can always just add more flour if it’s sticky, or more water if it’s getting to doughy too fast. Just be brave and don’t look back!” Of course, the point of this wasn’t exactly to learn how to make bread; it was also just a great excuse to hang out with my Grandma. And I had so much fun; it was such a joy-filled afternoon. The next step in this adventure is to try make her bread by myself at home and present her with a loaf (or six, depending on how much I end up making).

2) Learn how to make pasta from scratch.

Haven’t made it to this one yet. I have recipes and a pasta machine, and I’ve watched a bunch of videos online and on cooking shows about how to make pasta from scratch. I only have to buck up the courage to do it!

3) Go on a roller coaster.

Haven’t made it to this one yet either. This one I may need to put off until next year… We’ll see.

4) Learn how to skate.

I’m hoping to do this one this coming winter. I need to strategically plan who I go with. I know I’m going to end up falling a multitude of times and I need people around me who will be the right combination of teasing and actual helpfulness to get me through the process.

5) Join a choir.

I did this one! I was so nervous at my audition. It’s been a few years since I’ve had to audition for anything and I could tell I was out of practice. Between my pounding heart, a whirling head and all the butterflies in my stomach, it’s a miracle I managed to remember the piece I had prepared. We start rehearsals next week.

6) Pet more dogs and cats.

This one has been an ongoing process, but I’m getting there. I don’t pet random animals I find on the street, I know better than that, but I have a few friends that have animals, and they have been getting a lot of love from me.

7) Walk the whole Meewasin trail.

This is a goal I have for before the weather decides to… well… let’s not speak of it just yet. I’m still hoping to savor a bit of warm fun before winter comes around again.

Having these little resolutions has been fun, certainly more fun than I thought it would be. It gave me an excuse to do the things I’ve been meaning to do for a long time. I find breaking out of my shell or breaking my normal routines to be difficult. It can make me nervous and sometimes takes quite a bit of energy (introversion can be a challenge), but more often than not I’ve found that it’s worth it in the end. I pray that God will continue to inspire me to break the mold, to be brave, and to work to become someone closer to the best version of me.