Hopes & Dreams for 2014

The end of the year is always rife with resolutions and promises to be better at this, to stop doing that, to change this, to start doing that. 

And I usually participate, promising myself I'll start going to the gym more regularly, or eat better, or whatever I've decided will make me a better person.

This time around, while I'm not giving up making resolutions (that I inevitably quit caring about 2-3 months into the year), I've decided I'm going to call them goals, or my hopes & dreams for the upcoming year.

I figure this way the year will be about the process of achieving those goals as opposed to the actual achievement itself. 

So, here are my 10 Hopes & Dreams for 2014.

1. Run at least one of the following distances: 21 km (my 4th half-marathon), 30 km (Around The Bay or A Midsummer's Night Run), or 42 km (my first - and most likely last - full marathon)

2. Start a family. (temporarily) Gain 30 + lbs.

3. Put away $5000-10,000 into savings for a house.

4. Stop telling myself I need to get lean/put on muscle/workout to be healthy. Do it only to be happy. Walk long distances with the dog, swim in cold lakes, get lost on runs, ride my bike to work, hike/canoe/portage through nature.

5. Make a Happy List on the blog once a month and be thankful for all the wonderful things in my life. 

6. Learn how to speak French again. A patient at work speaks only Swahili and French. While my French is passable (barely), having her laugh, kindly, at my attempts to communicate with her have made me acutely aware of how badly I wish I was bilingual. 

7. Appreciate my friends & family more and make sure they know it.

8. Become more of an activist for HIV/AIDS. Attend more conferences, correct common misconceptions, become a better nurse. 

9. Knit more. Maybe learn to crochet.

10. Go on lots of dates. With John, friends, my parents, etc. 

What are your resolutions/goals/hopes/dreams/wishes for 2014?