A Quarter Through 2025: Am I Voting “Present”?

On New Year’s Day, I posted that my resolution for 2025 was to vote “present” when confronted with decisions about what to do. In other words, I resolved to balance my propensity for planning with living in the moment. To focus on what should come next in the immediate moment, rather than worrying too far into the future.

So, with the first quarter of 2025 behind us, how am I doing?

To even ask this question shows I’m measuring myself across the year. I’m trying to assess whether I am 25% complete on attaining my goals, though this resolution is hard to measure. It seems I cannot get away from looking at the past and future, from planning what still needs to be done.

But I have noticed myself living in the present, at least for brief moments. I walk in my neighborhood and notice the blooming trees and flowers. I listen to music and let my heart swell with emotion as it plays. I wallow in self-pity because I have a cold. I dropped everything one afternoon this week to set up my new laptop. I play with my granddaughter—and it’s impossible not to live in the present with her, because that is how toddlers live.

My husband and I planned our trip to Blaine, Washington, with a minimum of fuss. We’ve taken walks with friends and gone on various outings with little planning. We stop for coffee (or chai, in my case) after appointments, just because we can.

We can live in the present. Sometimes.

Still, a part of me strives for more. More productivity. Faster work. Shorter interruptions. The pace of working on year-long goals for so many years still lives within me. I measure myself by accomplishments and not by living in the present.

How are you doing on your goals for 2025? (Or should I even ask?)