(mis)adventures of spindlerose: Ten on Tuesday: 2015 Intentions

I've already written about my words for 2015—practice and finish. Choosing guiding words for the year is the first step in making changes. I've spent the last week or so reflecting on exactly what I will practice and finish this year.

Since Carole's theme this week is intentions for 2015, here are 10 concrete things I will practice or finish in 2015.

Practice writing daily. Writing well requires practice. The only way past writers' block is through.
Finish 2 blog posts a week. I will let go of perfectionism and send my words into the world.
Practice commenting on other people's blog posts. I am a big reader and infrequent commenter. The best way to maintain the community of friends I initially met through blogging is to keep reading and commenting.
Practice photography. I enjoy taking pictures; I'm sometimes good at it; and the only way to improve is to take more pictures. The whole family gave my niece Miss M a DSLR for Christmas this year. I'm looking forward to seeing the world through her camera--and I hope she enjoys seeeing the world through mine.
Finish processing pictures soon after I take them so I can print a few to fill the vast empty spaces on our walls and share the best pictures with the blog and the world.
Practice yoga 4 times a week (two classes and twice at home). Why is taking better care of myself so challenging? Regular practice brings better sleep and better physical and mental flexibility. In my life right now, both are incredibly important.
Practice knitting a few projects frequently. I mean knit only two or three projects actively at a time instead of five to ten. Make steady progress on those two projects every week.
Finish projects that deserve finishing and rip out those that do not. Ripping out the projects that are not going anywhere is liberating. It removes the psychic weight of a to do from the back of my brain. And threatening to turn an almost garment into a big ball of yarn brings readers out of the woodwork.
Practice cooking dinner from scratch instead of from boxes and restaurants. Life may be calmer this year. We bought this house because it has a spectacular kitchen that I love; if I'm not going to use it, we should have bought a completely different place.
Practice spinning. For me, spinning is more about the meditative process of turning fluff into yarn and less about the eventual finished yarn. Spinning also calms my monkey mind and improves my focus and flexibility, and I need as much of that as I can get.

These 10 intentions aren't my only plans for 2015. I hope to read more books than I did last year and watch a lot less television. David and I have a few trips planned already, and I'm sure we will plan more once we survive our big work commitments early in the year. I'm going to keep working on my curling game. And there is quite a bit on my professional plate that will stretch my skills and keep my job interesting.