It’s that time of year again when I look back on my post from the beginning of 2022 and laugh!

Well, I’m not laughing that much, but isn’t it funny how the best intentions sometimes just go out of the window?

In 2022, I wanted to write 26 blogs, one a fortnight, and I actually managed 36, which I am pleased with! But they were hardly once a fortnight. By the time I was discerning the call to move on from The Good Shepherd I was seriously blocked and found it better to write nothing than try and come up with something that wasn’t completely honest. So this year I would like to write 52 blogs, an average of one a week but with some wiggle room for when I blog a lot, like over Easter week.

I will be doing the reading challenge again. Last year I read 89 books including Sophia books and I managed about 35 grownup ones. As Sophia feeds less this year, I will inevitably spend less time reading so my target will be to read 52 books again.

To be honest, going back to work when Sophia was six months and trying to do a full time job in part time hours was a real struggle. The aim last year was to write a sermon when I was due to preach. Well, I’m very grateful to former Poppy who worked hard on her sermons because I have recycled old sermons numerous times this year.

I am going to trial a new way of working this year. I am aiming to have an admin day, a forward planning day, a retreat day and a house/batch cooking day about once a month. I’ve been through and put 10 of each kind of day in my diary across the year, 40 in total. It will seem weird at first, but I am hoping that by having this time to tackle admin, upcoming events, the housework and, most importantly, prayer, I should fall into crisis mode less often. By keeping on top of the basics regularly, I hope that I will be able to be responsive and creative the rest of the time. If it doesn’t work then I won’t do it again in 2024, simple!

A new thing, and I can’t believe I’m even writing this, is to exercise once a week. Doing Sweaty Mamas in 2022 was so good for me and I understand the importance of exercise so much more now.

Family time continues to be 5-7 every evening. Sometimes one of us will overrun a bit, sometimes one of us needs to leave a bit early, but overall Nathan and I are quite good at keeping this boundary. A friend shared something on Instagram this week and it went along the line of this:

The work you is replaceable, the home you is not. Think about that when you decide how to divide up your time.

This has really struck me. Last year me and Dad rearranged my study so that my desk faces the door. At Vicar School somebody said that their main memory of their clergy parent was the back of their head as they worked at their desk. I really don’t want to be like that. What I do in my vocation is important, but who I am and how I am at home is even more so.

As always, thanks for reading along. And if it seems that I’m going off track, do let me know!