The Year of No Goals

Did anyone else flip their calendar to November, blink, and then find themselves completely burnt out and realizing that it’s 2023? Just me? Doubtful.

We are one of those families that combines Thanksgiving and Christmas into one day-long celebration. For my side of the family to get together, half of us need to travel several hours - completely doable but not enjoyable - and the other half need to prepare to host us. Between jobs, kids, spouse’s families, and other seasonal travel, it just makes sense to get together once and allow some breathing room in our schedules.

Friends, there doesn’t seem to be breathing room anymore. The Kid is now in high school and is the busiest he’s ever been. Balancing his activities with planning holiday parties for the fire department, Library, Thanksmas, getting everything in line for us to travel, performances at our local theater, holiday parties, and last minute shopping completely consumed all of our time. It’s gotten to the point where my yearly timeline for everything has moved up three months. I seriously hope to have all of our gift shopping done by August 1. I am that eager for less stress that I have already started brainstorming gifts for next year.

Even on vacation at the end of December, a vacation where we literally did nothing but eat, sleep, and lay around on the couch, I didn’t seem to get any reading done. Last year, I read over a dozen of novellas and made a (small) dent in my BOTM books. This year, I read 2 great books and could barely focus on them, even with nothing else that required my focus. When I can’t read, my favorite thing in the world, I know it’s time for a change.

Needless to say, if you are one of those people who have decided that you are tired/ashamed/overwhelmed by not meeting your reading goal for 2022, let’s pretend to make coordinating witty bookish t-shirts. I began last year with a simple book log that I completely abandoned by the end of January. I wanted to analyze my reading selections and make it a point to diversify my reading. I wanted to know my genre breakdowns and total page count. I wanted to know how many books were purchased versus arcs versus library loans. Why? I don’t know! It sounded fun and fancy and I could show all two of you my colorful graphs.

It didn’t happen. There are no graphs and no pat on the back for reading more authors who don’t look or live like me. I know I did my best to read as widely as I could and to focus more on the books I was excited about. I know I was better about not finishing books I didn’t enjoy and encouraged the Library Kids to do the same.

So what about this year? I don’t know. I know I really want to read more of what I own. From where I’m sitting, I can see my BOTM books and thirteen haven’t been read. That’s nearly a whole year of purchases! I’m behind on my Black Dagger Brotherhood that I absolutely adore and don’t post about because you have to read them from the beginning and this far into the series, I can’t say anything without spoiling the previous books. But seriously, they are such an escape from the real world and I can’t wait for Lassiter’s book! I have a bookcase in my office of all my romance novels and there are at least 20 books still to be read. Truly, there are nearly 1,000 unread books on the e-reader. Yep, nearly 1,000 books that I was excited about in the moment, found a great deal on, or was sent as an advanced reader copy. This year, I’d like to learn more about tarot and deepen my yoga practice. I have so many beer styles I want to learn to brew and make a whole new line of jams and jellies from the orchard. Many books have been purchased and only a few have been read on those subjects. This also doesn’t feel like something that should have any type of goal attached to it.

I also think this is the year that I don’t attempt any kind of reading goal or try to attempt to track my reading. And I think that’s fine. I think we have enough to worry about. Besides, I turned 40 last week and I’m really, really over things that don’t add joy into my life.

As always, you do you. If reading goals, checklists, bingo cards, reading challenges and journals bring you joy, wonderful! I love this for you, sincerely.