Anyone who know me well is familiar with my love of organization. For me, nothing is more satisfying than setting a goal, creating a list, and making a plan. And nothing is more rewarding than accomplishing that goal! Although, I admit that the goal is rarely accomplished according to plan. Take this gap year as the prime example: I wanted to travel abroad and planned to do so after graduating with my doctorate degree in physical therapy. Now here I am, traveling around Nepal instead of completing my first year of physical therapy school. Goal accomplished, but not quite as planned. And that’s okay! I’ve found that if you adhere too strictly to the plan, some incredible opportunities may pass you by.

Like every year, I have a few goals for 2018. Resolutions, as they say. “Resolution” suggests determination and potential, but not necessarily a plan. It’s just the end. However, I have a plan for each of my resolutions which I will write in a list, of course! Goals, plans, and lists… This is going to be fun!

Before I dive into what I’m going to do, it’s important to look back on what I have done. Here’s a little reflection on my 2017 resolutions:

Travel to a new country, learn a new language.

This one was a given. When I created it, I was well on my way to traveling to Nepal, just weeks from buying a plane ticket. I spent many long hours on my laptop figuring out what I was going to do for eight months in Nepal, a country I knew virtually nothing about aside from the fact that it had the iconic Himalayas. Once I made a decision (never an easy thing for me), I was busy booking flights, sending emails, and wrapping up life in the USA. I would soon find that planning from the comforts of my home was the easy part. In Nepal I would be exposed to new things and face challenges I’d never imagined (ie. the squatty potty). The language would come slowly and I would be frustrated at times. I would say difficult goodbyes and keep moving on. Above all, I would learn – and am learning – to find my way.

Get some use out of your GPS watch.

Every set of New Year’s resolutions needs a fitness goal, right? Mine was to track my daily workouts (be it running, biking, skiing, or swimming) on my new GPS watch, the big Christmas/birthday present. In the first month, I logged an activity everyday and kept vigilant watch of my steps. I grew quite attached to that watch. Too attached. So when it came time to do my thru-hike of the Superior Hiking Trail, I decided to ditch it. The first week I found myself checking my bare wrist, seeing only the ghost of a tan line from my watch. I had hoped that I wouldn’t care so much about the time during my hike; wake up, eat, and sleep whenever I felt like it. However trying to ignore the time was tough (society’s pressure to adhere to a timed schedule is strong). I was happily reunited with my watch at the trail’s end. During my trip to Nepal, I also left my GPS watch behind, replacing it with a $10 watch from Walmart. Best. Decision. Ever. I’ve never once worried about losing or damaging the watch. Plus, kids aren’t as attracted to it as they are the GPS watch. So my lesson for this resolution? GPS watches are amazing devices, but not recommended for travel. Also, time dictates my life.

Be intentional.

This one started out as “be intentionally nice,” but I was told by several friends that I was already too nice. So I dropped the “nice” part to make it simply “be intentional.” Much broader. I could still be intentionally nice, but I could also be intentionally firm or intentionally sincere. The thought behind it was to be more in control of my interactions. I asked myself, “how do you want to feel after this conversation?” Closure and certainty. I had the habit of shrugging my shoulders or giving vague answers when asked what I wanted. However, by being intentional, I could give the impression that I knew what I wanted (even if I didn’t have the slightest clue). I think they call that confidence. I wanted confidence. However, I didn’t realize that was my true goal was until coming to Nepal and building a little more confidence. As I said, goals are rarely accomplished according to plan. In this case, sometimes the goals themselves evolve into something you hadn’t expected. Something essentially beautiful.

While I’m still working on my goals from 2017, it’s a new year! That means a new set of resolutions to tackle. I had a list of seven candidates, but narrowed it down to three:

Do a solo trip in the U.S.

My time in Nepal has made me realize how liberating it is to travel alone. I want more! Perhaps a solo backpacking trip on the Ice Age Trail. Maybe a mountain biking weekend in Duluth. Possibly some skiing in the Upper Peninsula. Don’t get me wrong, I love traveling with friends & family! Sharing moments with those close to you is priceless. However, solo traveling has allowed me to get to know myself. I’ve realized how much happiness I draw from others and how that happiness is extinguished with goodbye. I need to work on kindling happiness from within and the only way to do that is spending time with myself. Luckily, it turns out Laura Berry is a pretty nice person to spend time with! Although her inner ramblings are infinite. She never shuts up. Nevertheless, we get along quite well and I think we’ll be lifelong friends!

Continue on the path towards minimalism.

Another lesson from Nepal: You don’t need more than what you can carry on your back. Even that can seem like too much when I’m cramming into an over packed bus or van. I’ll probably have a bit more than a backpack when I settle back into my life as a student in La Crosse, but not much more. Stuff is stress. You have to clean it, maintain it, and eventually get rid of it when it breaks or becomes obsolete. I was never much of a materialist (I spent my senior year of college sleeping on a camp pad and using old wooden cranberry crates as shelving). However, I am nostalgic. I have scripts from elementary musicals, dozens of birthday cards, and maps from countries I may never step foot in again. Will I ever look at any of these things again? Unlikely. But will I ever get rid of them? There lies the challenge.

Stay in touch.

This is the big one. It’s a concrete goal and easy to plan (although harder to execute). I’ve met so many incredible people during this past year, people that have inspired me and challenged me. I want to keep them in my life even if we’re hundreds of miles away. I’ve already done fairly well keeping in touch with folks back home through emails and the occasional post of Facebook. However, my limiting communication factor is internet, not necessarily time. I’ve made my own schedule this past year. I decided where I will go, what I will do there, and when I will return. The only date set in stone is May 29, 2018, the day I start the physical therapy program at UW-La Crosse. All the time before that is mine to play with and explore! However, once in PT school, I will have a rigid schedule and a long to-do list. Communicating with people from another time and place in my life will be near the bottom of that list unless I intentionally put it near the top. I already have the momentum going, let’s see if I can keep it up!