Looking Forward

About this same time last year I was catching up on my blog posts (history repeating itself proven true once again), and I started looking towards my 2012 plans. I won't call them goals as that's opening an old can of worms. Growing up, there was an inevitable "goals" chat with my dad. We'd be sitting at a restaurant at some point close to the end of the year and he'd pull out a pen from his shirt pocket while simultaneously flipping over the paper place mat. My brother Mike and I would invariably groan and plead to postpone the dreaded exercise. Dad would ask us to list our goals for the next year in the following categories ('all on one hand', he says): 1. Spiritual Life 2. Family Life 3. Career (Professional Life) 4. Physical Fitness & 5. Relaxation & Hobbies. As an adult, I now appreciate the exercise (shh, don't tell Dad!); however, as a 9 year old, I really wasn't thinking so long term. My next sleepover was paramount on my list.

Fast forward many years (and a huge brother-sister coup where we refused to do our goals forever more), I now create lists for myself of things I'd like to accomplish. They deviate from the structure my dad has us follow, but his underlying motivation is there nonetheless. For purposes of this blog, I created two lists for the year of Places to Visit in 2011 and Things to do around NYC. Let's review how I fared with each of these while I contemplate what's on the books for 2012.

Top Places to Visit...in 2011
Miami - Fantastic bachelorette party weekend in April. It was mid-Lent and I took my well-earned dispensation of bread and booze here!
Snowboard - somewhere! - In March, I shot to Denver to visit my brother and got in almost a whole day of riding. It was glorious, but I hope for many more days in 2012.
Basel, Lyon, Interlaken, Zurich & the Unterengadin - This became Berlin, Basel, Burgundy (& Lyon), Lake Annecy, Murten & Zurich. STELLAR trip!
Manchester, VT - Most fun wedding ever!!!!!
Berlin - See above or read here.
Peru - Lima, Cuzco & Machu Picchu. Beyond words.

Lake Annecy, France

Where I excelled at the Travel goals, I failed on the Around the Town To Do’s. The boy saved me with an invitation to do trapeze school back in June, which was amazing. I kind of was a natural, to be honest. And just last week the boy and I attended a classical holiday concert at Carnegie Hall. It wasn’t quite the tour, but at least I got INSIDE the building finally! And we didn't do a Twilight Boat Cruise, but we did a beer tasting one...that almost counts.

Around Town To Do's....
NYC Police Museum
Ellis Island
Carnegie Hall Tour
Murder at the Met
Rock Climbing in Brooklyn
Trapeze School - YES!
Radio City Music Hall Tour
Picnic & Cloisters Visit
Lincoln Center Tour
Twilight Boat Cruise

I guess as lists (i.e. goals) go, you can't always get to all of them...or then what would you aspire to for the next year! So here's to 2012 and all the new things there are to explore, experience, enjoy, and envisage for life.

"Many small people who in small places do many small things that can alter the face of the World." - East Side Gallery, Berlin, Germany