In no particular order:
1. In which we buy a quaint old cottage – as you might have guessed, we are in an apartment. So this wish comes up… a lot. Questions about job stability and which country we will settle in make buying difficult. (a reason not an excuse!)
2. In which we return to Paris for a week – after catching a bit of The Hills the other night, sucked in by the beautiful shots of the city of lights, my mind started to race. Stay at the Relais Christine, visit the Jacquemart-Andre museum, ice skate on the Eiffel Tower (if winter), listen to some live jazz, sip kir royale at the Hotel Crillon bar, walk hand in hand through the Marais neighborhood, kiss along the Seine, and eat in sidewalk cafés.
3. In which I pay myself first – not getting a payroll check can really whacked out a person’s retirement contributions. I’m slowly getting back on track after reading The Automatic Millionaire. The essence of the book? Automatically deduct 10–15% of your gross salary from your paycheck (pre-tax) to go toward your 401k or 403b or SEP, etc…
4. In which I make health a habit – this too is challenging (for everyone, I would wager).
5. In which I make a greater effort to connect with friends and family.
6. In which I continue to grow my freelance career – in this economy, this really has become more of a wish than a reality. But I am undaunted.
7. In which I show more gratitude.
8. In which we rent a cottage in North Yorkshire for a summer – take long walks in the countryside, savor several pints and a roast dinner on Sunday at the pub, take photographs of happy sheep, lay in the grass and look for animal shaped clouds, attempt a Yorkshire accent, visit Whitby, get lost in the York shambles, and read a book in a cozy corner while the rain taps the windows.
9. In which I find a pet cause – I’m partial to The National Trust and the Jazz Musicians Emergency Fund but I feel I should find something locally. Does anyone else get overwhelmed by this?
10. In which we stop worrying and making obsessive lists.
