But what about this coming decade? Well, I turned 40 in September, so this is the big decade of middle age for me. I’m still healthy and fit, working out regularly. Over the past decade, I’ve experimented with various types of fitness, including barre, Essentrics, training and even some weird ones where you wear a machine and it’s supposed to send electrical pulses to reduce fat (not that I have much to reduce). That last one was a massive fail for me and I can tell you it’s a complete waste of money. Glad I got my money back for that. These days, I’m sticking with reformer, Essentrics and training. Barre? I might make a return at a later date, but I’m just too busy doing other things. I’ve also experimented with being vegetarian some days, and though I haven’t gone completely plant based (I love eggs and cheese), I can definitely go more than one day without animal flesh. In fact, I want to make that more routine (but that could mean making two separate entrées). It’s my one goal for the 2020s, to be meatless for two days each week and landmeat free at least one of them.

Speaking of food, I’m also looking forward to introducing my son to even more to expand his palate. He does eat quite a variety of different things, though he seems to like baked goods the most. I’ve made protein/fibre muffins (from a recipe a pediatric dietian I follow on Facebook posted) which consists of chicken, spinach, corn as well as cereal (the original calls for “baby cereal,” but I use oat bran). I’m thinking of combining chicken and tofu for the next version just to lessen the meat.

The 2020s will also see my son enter school. I’m actually kind of stressed about it (though I know I shouldn’t be). He’s already on the wait list for three preschools and another school that starts in Junior Kindergarten. I’ve already made a list of schools which might be a good fit for him – he seems to hate large crowds (but it could be a phase), so I’m hoping that he’ll get a spot in a smaller community. I’d hate for him to get lost.

As for me, in addition to trying to reduce my intake of meat, I’m looking to become more mindful. I’m already meditating on a daily basis – even on weekends – and it’s so far been good. I’ve also been journalling (in the old fashioned way) since 2017. I think I’ve gone through enough Moleskine notebooks to fill an entire library! When I first started, I was writing about eight pages a day, but since motherhood hit, it’s been down to four. Being a mom, after all, takes priority.

I’m also trying to reduce my time on some forms of social media, especially Facebook. Sure, many mom groups are amazing (like the baby feeding groups I belong to. In fact, they’re better than a mom app I have. I find the women in the FB group more educated and intelligent while the mom app ladies are kind of…ummm…you know), but my feed in general is just awful. I’m getting the same ads over and over, and many of my Facebook friends seem to be just a tad bit over politically correct. I’ve done some clean-up – I’ve stopped following many people (especially in certain industries), but I’ve cut few friends. It’s probably about time I do. Some people can be just so awful towards you because your views are different. You really don’t need them in your life! I’m going to stick around Instagram though. Seeing photos of other people’s lives makes me happy! Twitter? Well, it’s just too busy to really end up being anything too crazy. I DO plan to spend more time on LinkedIn. Maybe use it to find philanthropy-related workshops in the area.

I’m also hoping to learn more about investing in businesses. And LinkedIn might help. Perhaps I could find some workshops on angel investing via that social network. I know that this is something I’m hoping to expand into, especially when it comes to working with women-run start-ups (women are far less likely to land a deal).

Am I missing anything? I don’t know. I suppose I can always update this post or write a new one if I come up with anything else!

What about you? What are YOU planning for this coming year?

Image By tonkid/Shutterstock

The post A New Me for 2020 appeared first on Cynthia C. Mintz.

These kids (the school is co-ed, but the documentary only follows girls) attend Shanti Bhavan, a school founded by Abraham George, an American man of Indian descent who felt that he needed to give back to the country of his birth.  Only one child per family is allowed to attend the school and they are sent at the age of four and expected to stay until they graduate from high school.  From there, they are taught a very challenging curriculum and are prepared to take India-wide exit exams similar to GCSEs and A-levels in the UK.  The point of the school is to alleviate poverty – that a good education would lead to a well-paying, white-collar job.  From that point, alumni of Shanti Bhavan would be able to earn higher wages and help their families.  It’s A LOT of responsibility to carry.  And these kids know from a very young age.

In many ways, I feel badly for the kids.  Not only are they sent to boarding school at such a young age, and thus, only see their parents during holidays, but their upbringing by the school makes them, culturally speaking, different from their parents.  They have a more worldly outlook, and for the girls especially, culture clash awaits at home, not to mention, jealousy.  There are those who still criticize the family and the girls themselves for being more “worldly,” and question why they are not yet married, despite only being 16 or 17.  Of course, that kind of life is all they know, and thus, don’t know that things could be very different – and life-changing.  There’s a reason why these parents sent their children to boarding school at FOUR and not FOURTEEN.

Most of the girls featured in the movie graduated from the school and went to pursue post-secondary studies (another one was very young and was still at the school when filming ended).  While, yes, there were culture clashes there too – the class divisions between classmates and the alumnae from Shanti Bhavan finally hit – most of them seemed to be able to pull through.  One alumna, however, wanted to do more than what she was destined to do.  On one hand, she knew that she had to get a “real” job in the professional/corporate sector – something which would allow her to help family – she was also a budding musician and wanted to sing.  When come from poverty, becoming a singer is just to high a risk to gamble on, and thus, not encouraged by the school.  Of course, it doesn’t mean she can’t sing for fun!

While it was certainly a great documentary – especially with a focus on girls, as Indian culture itself is still so divided – I would have liked to see more about the boys.  It would be interesting to find out how their views on women differ from their families, and whether there’s a cultural disparity between them and their families when it comes to how they view women’s roles.  Right now, the oldest Shanti Bhavan alumni – male AND female – are still too young to make a real impact  on change since they’re only in their 30s, but you never know.  Only time will tell.

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