23 Goals in 2023 Update

So! The first two months of 2023 have flown by. I'm going great guns working through my goals for the year.

Word of the Year: Flow
I've been taking Phone Free Fridays to give me extra bandwidth. My creativity has returned in force (Hooray!) so I've been doing a lot of crafting and other creative projects. I'm able to get into that space where time and place don't exist ... and be absorbed into my current activity. This is exactly what I was hoping for.

Infuse Fun
I'm a homebody who isn't too into extreme anything, so usually my fun is pretty quiet. But I have been keeping track of my fun activities and realize I partake in enjoyable time quite a bit. I've already had 29 days with fun. Most involve geocaching and crafternoons alone or with one of my kids. Dale and I have gone to a couple performances which was fun because I'm rarely out at night. Dates are a novelty. 

Dale and I had a fun afternoon geocaching with our eldest, Jeanne. That kid is an excellent geocaching partner. We found several that afternoon.

My two most fun times were with Jodie. On one occasion, I gave her a handmade gift that was both "amusing and horrifying." I giggled over that for hours. (I've been given strict orders to refrain from sharing that craft on my blog due to the "horrifying" part). The other fun afternoon involved helping her prep her garage for a big clean-out. We can make nearly anything fun when we're together.

Creative Photo Journey
So far I've read 1-1/2 books written by a Pete Souza, and bought another by him. I'm learning a good amount from his documentary style. 

This week, Jodie helped me learn about lighting for studio photography. I have better knowledge of how to use 3-point lighting. She helped me understand that getting the outcome I'm seeking takes more experimentation than I imagined.

Visit 23 Parks

It's been so wet that Dale and I haven't gone out much yet. That will change once Spring truly arrives. So far we've scoped out three parks this year.

Alternative/Additional Goals

I've made great progress on several goals and already completed a few!

• Audiobooks and books: Goal of 23. Completed 12.
  
  
• Beaded ornaments: Goal of 23. Completed 36.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Crafternoons: Goal of 23 with a buddy. Completed 9 alone. Completed 5 with my kids.
  
  
• Crafts: Goal of 23 different varieties. Completed 8.
  
  
• Geocaches: Goal of 23. Completed 23 as of last week. I also reached my 600 caches found milestone.
  
  
  
  
  
• Gratitude: Last year I had a hard time listing things to be grateful for. I stopped trying. This year I picked up my gratitude journal again. Goal of 23 short lists. Completed 38.
  
  
• Sending Cards and Letters: Goal 23. Completed 25.
  
  
  
  
  
• Jigsaw Puzzles: Goal of 23. Completed 3.
  
  
• Movies / TV series on my Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime lists: Goal of 23. Completed 38.
  
  
• Quilted Hearts: Goal of 23. Completed 19.
  
  
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• Advance Directive: Finished it and had it notarized.
  
  
• Kiva Loans: Goal of 23. 7 Completed.
  
  
• Bicycle: I got a used bike. Now I need to get it tuned up.
  
  
  

I finally feel like I'm part of post-pandemic life. Most of my anxiety is gone. 

Watch out, World. I'm back!

(Mostly)

100 Kiva Loans!

Today marks the 100th time I've made a loan through Kiva. Today I loaned to Yana, a woman in the Ukraine who owns a needlework shop.

I absolutely love this organization that helps folks in the developed world give small loans to small business owners in the developing world. Kiva now even facilitates loans to the working poor in the United States.

Folks in need turn to Kiva when they cannot obtain loans from the usual banks and financial institutions.

Folks with means turn to Kiva to help others collectively in ways that they'd not be able to do individually. So even gals like me that have limited funds to give away can become micro-philanthropists! I give because giving feels good!

So, why Kiva? And how does it work?

Kiva is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world.

1. You make a loan on Kiva. All Kiva loans are made possible by Field Partners, who vet, administer, and disburse each loan. The Field Partners are little community financial institutions located right in the region where the loan is needed.
   
   
2.  Get Updated. Throughout the life of the loan, you will see progress updates from Kiva through your email, and if you come back to the site.
   
   
3. Get paid back. As the borrower repays the loan, the money becomes available in your account. This is called your Kiva Credit.
   
   
4. Repeat.You can now use your Kiva Credit to fund another loan, donate it to Kiva, or withdraw it to spend on something else.

I was able to make my very first Kiva loans because I was given a Kiva gift certificate for Christmas a couple years ago. Over the course of several months, the money I lent was paid back. I loaned again. I was given another gift certificate. I loaned some more. Gradually, I've added to my loan amount so that I am now able to make one loan per week without having to add any more money into the pot. I can loan and reloan and reloan.

For now, I get to help the world economy grow $25 at a time. But should my own circumstances change, I can always withdraw the Kiva Credit as it is repaid to my account and use it for my own needs.

This is a world-class organization ... people helping people ... heart to heart.

Kiva. Loans that Change Lives.
Let it change yours!

Men Wield Needles, Too

It's the first of May, so it's a Kiva Loan Day!

One of the things I enjoy about Kiva is that it improves my geography!

Today I'm lending $25 to a tailor in Togo. I honestly needed to check the map and read up a bit on Wikipedia. Togo is a small country on the western side of Africa.

Though I usually try to lend to women, today I chose to give a loan to a male tailor. Biova Komi ZIKPI is a married father of three. He requested a $1,200 loan to buy new sewing machines and work supplies in order to expand his business.

In Togo, $1,200 is nearly a full year's income! The $25 I'm loaning is barely enough to buy dinner for two in north Idaho (US). Just think how far that money will go in a developing country. Won't you consider making a loan, too?

Kiva. Loans that change lives.

Give a Tailor a Hand

It's half way through April already. Must be time to make another Kiva loan!

This month I found another needleworker to assist. Lesi is a 40 year old woman living in Tulaele, Samoa (south Pacific). Her business is in tailoring and alterations. She's asking for a $1000 loan to buy a new sewing machine.

I was able to help out with a $25 loan.Won't you consider helping an entrepreneur in the developing world with a loan, too?

Kiva. Loans that Change Lives.

Needleworkers Helping Needleworkers

At the start of each month, there are many opportunities to lend a hand at Kiva. The hands I lend to hold needles. A loan from one needleworker to another.

This month I'm helping a single working mother from Columbia. Martha has a growing tailoring business in a busy part of town. Loaning to her is a good risk. This is the second loan she's seeking through Kiva - a mere $800.

With her first loan, Martha bought some updated sewing machines. Her business is doing well, so she's ready to expand. With this loan, she intends to add a cutting table to her workspace and some more raw sewing supplies.

What impresses me most about Martha is that she hopes to grow her business enough to employ other women "so that she can provide jobs for other mothers who are supporting families."

To me, that's what Kiva is all about. With a $25 loan, this homemaker in north Idaho can help a business woman in Bogotà, Colombia. Then this woman assists others in her community.

Grow a healthy economy; grow a healthy world.
One little loan at a time.

Kiva. Loans that Change Lives.

Time for Another Kiva Loan

Some of the money I loaned through Kiva has been repaid ... so time to invest in another entrepreneur!

This week I'm able to help out a woman in Cambodia. From her home, she runs a clothing sewing and design business. Please meet Kong Thida.

She's asked for a $1,000 loan to update her home so that garment factory workers can rent the space. I was able to loan $25.00 to help her with that goal. Combined with other lenders, Kong Thida will soon have the funds she needs.

Won't you consider making a Kiva loan too? Business folks in developing countries all over the world can use a boost. When their businesses thrive, they can then employ others in their community. Gradually, they can be lifted from poverty. YOU can make a difference.

For you needlework friends, please consider joining my lending team, Needles for Change. We are a group of friends who met through a common love of stitching. We are choosing to make loans through Kiva to honor each other and all those around the world who love or make their living through needlework.

Kiva. Loans that change lives.

Kiva: A Little Goes a Long Way

Share the planet!
Go do some Kiva.
~ Bob Harris

Bob is one of my heroes. He's already made over 400 Kiva loans. When I grow up, I want to be like Bob!

So last night I made my 34th Kiva loan. This time I got to help Luafitu Tusagi in Samoa buy supplies for her sewing business. Luafitu buys fabric, prints it in bold designs, then creates traditional garments called lavalavas and puletesis.

You can view some of her creations on this Picasa photo site.

Won't you consider making a loan, too? I'm part of a Kiva lending team called Needles for Change. Our goal is for female needleworks in the developed world to help needleworkers, sewing professionals, embroiderers, tailors and fabric merchants in the developing world. When you decide to make a loan, I hope you'll consider joining this lending team . Leave a comment and I'll send you an official invitation.

Kiva. Loans that change lives.