If you remember, my birthday goals for 2012 consisted of 3 qualitative things and 2 quantitative things. The 3 qualitative things pretty much fell by the wayside:

1. Take a fiction writing class
I signed up for a “plot workshop” through the U of U’s continuing education program in the spring, but it was canceled. Another “creative non-fiction” class was offered in October, but that turned out to be a busy month for me working on one of the 2 quantitative things (read on) so I didn’t take it. Plus, it wasn’t technically a fiction writing class.

2. Write 3 short stories
I knew this would only happen if I took a class that required it, so I’m not too upset about not doing it.

3. Read a new book a month
I ended up reading 5 books, all during the summer, as reported on here. I also made it 2/3 through 1984 and am still working my way through The Happiness Project, which I think is going to inform my goals for being 33 (stay tuned).

So, not too good on the qualitative things. BUT, I did so much thinking about my career that I feel like I really got the first quantitative thing:

+1. Be happier in my work
I didn’t talk about it much here, but at the beginning of the year I wasn’t sure I even wanted to be a writer any more. I thought and thought and changed jobs and thought some more, and I can say I’m in a much better mental place about my career now.

And if the number of hippie quotes on here (and now shaman readings, my god, Carl Sagan would not approve) were any indication, I think I’m at least staying mindful of my second goal:

+2. Less judgement, more compassion
Because we’re really all connected. Not just because the shamans say so, but because Neil Tyson (and therefore science) does too:

“We are all connected, to each other biologically, to the Earth chemically and to the rest of the universe atomically…It’s not that we are better than the universe.  We’re part of the universe. We’re in the universe and the universe is in us.”