Our service members carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. Their burden is shared by us, the people who love them. The act of taking on this kind of stress is taxing. Our ability to live fully ourselves is more important than ever. But sometimes, we struggle.
2019 was a rough year for me. The only thing more unbalanced than my mental health was my diet. I had such high hopes for 2020—I even made a resolution to be immerse myself in better, more positive thinking habits.
All of that came to a screeching halt last week as I watched our troops deploying and rockets flying over al-Asad.
The “friendly” meme drop came just as I had begun to calm down from the initial here-we-go-again panic. The fuzzy-greenish haze of worry began to slowly sharpen into a red-hot fury of rage. Did my non-military friend really just send me a meme reminding me to “think good thoughts?”
You have got to be kidding me right now.
t’s arrived. I turn it over in my hands, appreciating the new leather, running my fingers over the embossed 2020 on the cover. Cracking it open, I am met with initial stiffness and resistance as with the start of any new thing. To limber it up, I shuffle the pages with my thumb from front to back and back again. Now the crisp, sparkling blank pages greet me openly. They are bright white, empty, and brimming with the promise of things to come.
It’s a new year and a new calendar. A tool to plan and direct the flow of time as best we mortals can. Skipping past January, February, and all the other months, I find the few blank pages in the back. It is here I will make my mark.
How many of us get into our car and begin driving to a new destination without first putting it in the GPS?
This time of the year is notorious for finding something in your life that you want to remove, increase, or alter from the previous year into the new year.
I have gone through many New Year’s resolutions in my lifetime. Becoming debt-free is always near the top of my list—each year I am able to decrease it, but never fully cross the finish line. Other times I am able to truly commit to changing my behaviors for a better wiser self.
Why do some of the commitments that we make never survive into February, while others become a lifestyle change? Finding the why inside, that core motivation to make the desired change.
We’ve all heard the saying “just do the best you can do.”
Possibly this was muttered by your senile, passive-aggressive Great Aunt this holiday season while standing around the cheeseball; hopefully, it was said with sincerity from a loved one.
Military wives know this phrase possibly better than anyone else. And if you don’t, then I hope this post will empower you to see the truth in this phrase.
I, like many other victims, am a recovered people pleaser. At one point in my life, I was so concerned with letting people down or saying “no” that I would break down in tears if I had to break a commitment. It wasn’t until I had two kiddos a mere 19 months apart that I realized I needed a change.
Today we all woke up with 365 new days ahead of us. Happy New Year!
I like to start each year off in my pajamas. I’m talking about a pj party all day long.
This party of mine includes lots of leftovers from the holidays that my family can munch on (so I don’t have to cook!), piles of cookies and treats, a fresh notebook with no writing in it, my favorite orange pen, a warm sherpa throw, crackling logs in the fireplace, and a lot of reflection on the past year.
2019.
I’ve heard from a number of people that they are looking forward to the end of last year. It’s almost like with the clash of pots and pans, the flash of fireworks in the sky, a glass of champagne, and a midnight kiss, all their troubles will end. All the negatives were left in the past and the future suddenly looks bright.
There is a book written by Dr. Seuss entitled, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Perhaps you’ve heard of it. It really is quite remarkable how this children’s book can both entertain the very smallest child and yet speak volumes to adults, both young and old.
Over the years, it has become a graduation staple, full of autographs by every positive and influential teacher the alumnus has had since preschool. If you have not had the opportunity to read the pages of this book or if it has been a while, I strongly recommend that you seek it out . . . more often. What I believe you will find are comforting words that can inspire you to do, act, and be as you ought to be and not as Life would have you be.
How flexible are you?
I’m in my late thirties, and I can tell you that I’m less flexible now than when I was in my twenties. Simple yoga poses just hurt, not to mention it takes me awhile to get my heels down on the floor in downward dog. I know I need to be more intentional with stretching and finding time to do it, but it isn’t as much fun as going for a run or a hike (for me, anyway).
Now on to my next question for you: How flexible are you in your day-to-day life? I’m not talking about being flexible physically, but mentally—being flexible with your attitude, your plans, and your will, especially when things don’t go your way.
Most hospitals have a certain smell to them. I think it’s a combination of bleach, sweat, blood, and tears.
Did you know that the sense of smell is the strongest of the five senses connected to memory? So, maybe as I walk through the hospital I’m reminded of my own personal and frequent time spent in the hospital as a child, then later in life due to procedures related to my endometriosis and as a mother giving birth.
Today, was not about me though. It was about a family member who had cancer removed from his body. A family member who was given that ugly diagnosis of cancer several months earlier.
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