estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Hi everyone,

In the days leading up to 2025, I saw the trend going around about re-framing your new year’s resolutions as a bingo board. So on New Year’s Eve, I shared my board with my TX besto friendo, and my brother, and got to work filling it out.

I’m technically still in the process of completing my last one to get a full row (which is “write 20 cards and send them”) but it will be happening and I’m happy to get a bingo! Here is what I managed to accomplish this year:

Some goals were serious, like trying new things. Others, not so much (like I knew I’d injure myself, but I vividly remember the random bruise I woke up with on New Year’s Day and going “Wow, that fast huh.” Some of these I legitimately thought I had a good chance at completing, but by June, I realized I was way out of my league and gave up. But it took me almost the whole year to hit a bingo, which seems realistic to how slow progress can be.

Some misses that I may try again on:

“Fundraise $1500 in donations” - I didn’t end up going the fundraising route, but I did definitely reach that goal in grants that I wrote, so maybe grant writing is my new superpower. I haven’t lost yet! (Some committees didn’t give me as much money as I had asked for, but no one has outright told me no, surprisingly).

“Visit grandma” - I really should visit my grandmas, because life is short and I haven’t seen them in years. I only got one grandpa worth visiting, the other one’s been dead since 2005 (and I don’t count my step-grandpa because bro is so disrespectfully, a dingus).

“Read a book translated from another language” - this was supposed to be “We” by Yevgeny Zamyatin. The book that predated, and inspired “1984” by Sir George Orwell. Still haven’t read it yet, but I did read (almost) the entire Red Rising trilogy so at least I got back into reading.

I’m going to do this again for next year, and try adding in more health and wellness goals. TBH if I flop next year, I probably won’t talk about it but at least I know this method of goal-setting works well!

Trying my best,

Helen