19 in 2019 lookback: 1 Second Everyday

At the end of 2017, I learned about this really cool app called 1 Second Everyday. The idea is that every day you shoot one second of video and then mash it together into a compilation at the end of your chosen time period. I decided it would be fun to do for 2018, so I bought the app and diligently added my one-second clip each day. By the end of 2018, I was starting to lose interest, and I felt like I was forgetting to do it all day and then adding yet another random clip. On New Year's Eve though, when I mashed my clips together (and added music through the app Splice), I was entranced with the results:


So I entered 2019 with great enthusiasm for making another year-in-review video, but this time I tried to be much more intentional to make sure that I included a wider range of friends and family. The results:


I really feel like this project has made me happier. I begin each day by thinking about what or whom I am going to include in my clip for the day, which makes me more mindful of paying attention to the important things in my day.

19 in 2019 lookback: Read 36 books

Last year I set my reading goal at 36 books, because how hard can it be to read 3 books a month, right? I'm sure I used to do way more than that without setting any sort of goal. Well, I made it through 22 (click the image to see it bigger):



I've decided to set my goal this year at 20. It seems a good number for 2020, and frankly I'm tired of feeling bad about my reading.

Tap, tap, tap . . . is this thing on?

Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it?

For the past couple of years, Annabelle and I have participated in the "xx goals for 20xx" project championed by 2 of my favorite podcasts, Happier and Happier in Hollywood. Basically, you set 18 goals for 2018, 19 goals for 2019, and now 20 for 2020. Oh, and there's also a word for the year. Last year my word was "flexibility"; this year it's "focus" (get it? 20/20 as a vision measurement?)

I have set my 20 intentions for the year, some of which are carryovers--some successful, some not--but many of which are brand new. I wanted a place to keep track of my progress on these various goals, and this blog seemed like the obvious choice. I feel a little weird to be blogging as One-Tired Mom though. I am still tired, still a mom, and still longing to learn how to ride the unicycle, but my kids have grown up and moved out on their own. In fact, now I could be called One-Tired Grandma. But this blog still feels like home to me, so I'm firing it back up for purposes of this project.

Here in alphabetical order is what I hope to accomplish before 2021 rolls around:

1. 1 Second Every Day: continue for the third year
2. 20 flights of stairs daily
3. Curate my wardrobe and makeup collection
4. Deployment: support Mike, Sarah, and Violet
5. Digitize home movies and photographs
6. German: Duolingo and Deutsche Welle news podcast daily for the third year
7. Home improvement project: TBD
8. Knitting: Finish my Irish fisherman’s sweater and make Sam’s Christmas stocking
9. Learn how to use GitHub
10. Learn Python
11. Listen to the Washington Post’s Presidential podcast
12. Organize files - paper and digital
13. Read 20 books
14. Read Washingtonian magazine monthly
15. Sew Annabelle’s anteater PJ pants and the “trash friends” dress
16. Succulent project: wreath, planter?
17. Travel someplace with Fred that isn't visiting family
18. Unicycle: finally learn how to ride
19. Visit my parents
20. Wedding: support Sam and Annabelle in planning