I haven’t spoken about my “year of single bucket list” in awhile. It is still a work in progress even if some things have changed slightly. I’m not quite ready to write publicly about some of those changes, but soon enough. Here are some things I have accomplished:

7.) Meditate daily. I miss a few days here and there, but I downloaded the app Simple Habit and it helps so much. Yes, sometimes I only meditate 5 minutes a day but that is alright and it truly does help. I noticed a huge difference a few weeks ago when we started the school year. Yes, there were work irritations, but I was handling them so much better. My first instinct wasn’t to grab a glass of wine and climb into bed. Anyone who works in a school knows this is huge. The obstacle I wasn’t anticipating is meditating with cats in the room. Has anyone ever tried this? It is borderline impossible. They have no idea why you’re sitting still and not petting them.  I mean look at this drama queen right now:

12.) Work on my vegetarian cooking. This is still an ongoing work in progress. I have tried and failed plenty of recipes, but also had some successes. I still haven’t figured out the art of a roasted Brussels sprout that doesn’t make me gag, but I’m working on it. Right now my focus is on my overall health and making sure my body is balanced and healthy. So yes, sometimes that still includes chicken. I’m at peace with that.

28.) Refurbish more stuff. I did do this quite a bit this summer. In fact, I have a set of nightstands sitting in my living room that need some work. I’m back at work so finding time is hard, but I do enjoy it so I need to make the time.

29.) Have a patio herb garden. I had basil coming out of my ears this summer. I would still like to add some more herbs and make it a windowsill herb garden as we move into fall and winter. I also have a strawberry plant that is crushing it out there. My jalapeño plants are essentially useless and I killed my tomato plant a week after I got it. I think I’ll stick to herbs.

30.) Practice listening more than talking. Another work in progress but I’m really trying. One area that I’m really working on is trying to avoid giving unsolicited advice or at the very least asking before I start telling people what I think they should be doing. It’s really hard once you become aware of how often you do it.

There are still other things that are ongoing but haven’t been accomplished. Buying my own condo, for example, is a big one. Luckily, I have a few people in my life really encouraging and pushing me to do it. Honestly, this is my new priority. I’ve realized there is a lot of old mental blocks in the home I live in (that’s a story and a blog post for another time).  I really do need a new space to create new memories in. I added a new bucket list item recently and accomplished it, but I will be posting about that separately.  I received such a positive response at the start of this from both friends and strangers and I really appreciate all of you! I even had some women reach out who started their own lists. I am still open to other bucket list options as needed as well or tell me about your lists, I love hearing about them.