I didn't make any resolutions this year.
Except one.
To make this year as excellent as last year, by making do, and making it awesome.
To me, this means that when life throws the unexpected at me, I will bend. I will be flexible. I will go with it, without expectations, moment to moment.
Except one.
To make this year as excellent as last year, by making do, and making it awesome.
To me, this means that when life throws the unexpected at me, I will bend. I will be flexible. I will go with it, without expectations, moment to moment.
It's not an easy undertaking, I'll admit. I spent most of the last year taking a crash course in flexibility. My children are very impatient, inflexible teachers. And life never goes the way I expect. I can plan every moment, plan every meal, track every penny, every minute. I often do. And it's these skills I market. But in the end, after a most challenging year, I realized I have no control over any of it anyway. The more I try to control it, the more disappointed I become when it doesn't go as planned.
But the Universe can't be controlled. I may wake up tomorrow with the flu. My 5 yr old may have 10 meltdowns in an hour. My 13 yr old may break his leg riding his bike. We might move to our own place this year. Or not. I only have control over one thing: myself. My reactions, and the way I handle life's unexpected moments, the positive ones and the negative ones.
But the Universe can't be controlled. I may wake up tomorrow with the flu. My 5 yr old may have 10 meltdowns in an hour. My 13 yr old may break his leg riding his bike. We might move to our own place this year. Or not. I only have control over one thing: myself. My reactions, and the way I handle life's unexpected moments, the positive ones and the negative ones.
Let me share life's craziness. Three Not So Great Moments: My 5 yr old got head lice. For 2 months. I had to shave his beautiful hair. My 13 yr old lost a friend and got bullied and taken advantage of, and had the biggest meltdown of his year. My ex will for sure be my ex, and no reconciliation is in the future. |
Three positives: My 5 yr old learned to use the toilet, completely without accidents, in 2 months. My 13 yr old is going to school every day, finally, after 7 years of very difficult school experiences. I was offered two solos with my choir, out of nowhere, and sang for several large audiences, including a TV appearance. Very exciting. | |
I can name many more, for each category. But what matters most is how I handled each disappointment, and each adventure. It took all year, or really, it's taken my whole adult life and then some, to figure out how to roll with the punches. I mess up in the moment sometimes, I catch myself. Then I breathe. And I focus on whatever the "problem" is, and make a solution or just try to survive it.
My survival rate is 100% so far. And so is yours. That's reason enough to celebrate the New Year.
My survival rate is 100% so far. And so is yours. That's reason enough to celebrate the New Year.