Tuesday, January 2, 2018

New Year, But I'm Keeping My Goals

Happy new year! 2018 is only two days old and I feel like I'm standing on a threshold. I'm feeling self-reflective, but that might not be the new year, that might just be my disposition.

For those of you, dear readers, who I get to hang out with semi-regularly, this will seem like me doing my broken record thing. But regardless, I have had the whole gamut of emotions over the past four and a half months. I came back from Army Basic Training in August rearing to go for more training. I was frustrated through September and October that my orders were not getting moved up so that I could go off and finish. Some of October and November, I starting feeling listless, like I couldn't do anything to gain forward momentum (there could be a whole spiritual reflection there are about letting go of what I want to find serenity and providence, etc.) In December Amanda and I took a good hard look at where we stood; what were our opportunities? What were our resources? Where had we already committed our time, and what kind of time and energy did we still have in reserve?

That's a tough conversation to have with anyone, be it yourself, your loved ones, your family. To be honest about where you are and where you want to go. My goals aren't really changing, but the way that I working toward my goals, that is. For example, I'll still be going to AIT in San Antonio this sumer, but in an effort to spend less time there (so I can be home with Amanda more), I'm looking at an EMT course at Century College here in Minnesota. There are a few other things, and since it is the new year, I almost feel like I'm making a series of resolutions...

No, I can't bring myself to make resolutions. And if any of you, dear readers, accuse me of making New Year's Resolutions, I will deny it! I'm simply re-identifying my goals.

My 2018 Goals:

  • Enroll in an EMT course.

This is really the big one. I mean, if I am simply patient, the Army will send me to San Antonio this summer to be trained as a combat medic and the first phase of that training is to learn how to pass the National EMT test. The military will train me to do the civilian EMT things. But I'm looking for forward momentum. And I have about six months here at home to do something. So If I go to San Antonio with my EMT certification done, that sixteen week training should be almost cut in half (fingers crossed). So that seems compelling.

  • Become MOSQ

This means passing the advanced training that the Army will provide me and actually qualifying to do my military job (the combat medic thing that requires the EMT training... see previous bullet point).

  • Read more

This feels like the most resolution-y thing on this list. But the truth of it is that I registered to win a Half Price Books gift card and they reported that the average HPBer reads 37 books a year, whereas the national average is 12. Yikes! I haven't been reading 12 books a year since I was at St. Thomas! And I was an English teacher for the past five years! So I need to read more. I already started this one.

  • Buy a house

Amanda and I have been talking about this one for a while. In fact, part of joining the National Guard, aside from helping to make a career change, was to help save the money for a downpayment on a house. Amanda and I are sick of renting and we want our own space so that we can welcome kiddos into it.


These are not resolutions, and they are not plans (if you want God to laugh...) It's more that these are guiding stars by which I'm finding some forward movement. Heck, I am openly admitting that I don't know precisely what I'm doing and I fully anticipate that the road toward these things is going to be rocky and stressful. But it's going to be an adventure and I think it's going to be (somewhat) fun. So therefor I call these things goals.

I'm not really interested in any of your New Year's resolutions. But this is because it always feels (or maybe society makes it feel) like resolutions are made to be broken. So do you have any goals that you feel compelled to restate, for your good and the good of the community?



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So this is my invitation to you to share your goals in the comments section. I'm reiterating that I'm not really interested in your resolutions, just because I feel like most of the population makes New Year's goals just to break them. Rather, share the goals that you find necessary to restate, either for your own good or for the good of the community. I thank all of you for your respect and support for one another in whatever comment you choose to leave. 

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