To a New Year

December 31, 2014September 13, 2015 by theseordinarygraces In Goals 1 Comment

It’s been quiet around here lately. My husband recently returned from his three and a half month trip and I’ve kind of felt the need to “circle the wagons”, if you will, and focus on family. I haven’t posted anything of my own on Facebook for over a week and I haven’t written for far longer.

I started brainstorming my goals for next year and the list is . . .long. Almost a whole notebook page. And I’m talking 5-star notebook size, not a cute little journal page. I tend to over-do it when it comes to goals. I’m gonna lose 10 pounds in a week or completely cut myself off from my phone or Netflix. I know in my head that these goals will never work, but I feel this sort of rush to accomplish things. I’m 30, which I know isn’t old, but with 3 kids over the age of five, 10 years of marriage under my belt and a knee that cracks every time I stand up, it’s hard not to feel old. Like time is running out.

I told my husband this morning that my New Year’s Resolution is to change my life, but what I really meant is that I want to change the way I live my life. I’m done going through each day like it’s just going to be exactly the same tomorrow. That gets us nowhere. I want to do things with intention. Dream, plan, act. It’s up to us to make our lives exciting.

We talk all the time about things we would love to do, places we dream of going, relationships we long to have. But how many of us actually follow through on these things? Do we take the time to make sure these things happen or do we get caught up in the busy-ness of the day-to-day and only remember when it’s too late?

Example: We very well might be leaving Alaska this summer, a whole year before we expected, and there are so many things we didn’t do. We haven’t taken the time to see Mt. McKinley or go camping. The kids and I haven’t seen the enormous brown bears feeding on salmon during the summer. I haven’t fished. At all. Not even once.

So, on this, the last day of 2014, I’m deciding right here and now that next year will be different. Much different. I’m not going to just sit around waiting for fair weather or perfect timing. Next year will be the best year yet.

Happy New Year, everybody!