May 25th - My Big Day!!!

I know that some of you have probably seen this posted on Facebook – I found it intriguing. To me it was an eye opener on the importance of carving out a healthier lifestyle for our self.  It seems logical that the changes and choices you make today may well affect what happens tomorrow.  You just never know, eh?  I realize that we don’t always have a say in what happens to us … but for the things you do … then we probably could be a little more pro-active.

Today (May 25) I turn 55 and I think that if I have some choice in how I go through my coming year then I would like it to be with more energy, a positive attitude (some more work needed there), and a healthier and more joyful focus. I guess I have some work ahead of me – lol. 

It’s funny – I couldn’t even imagine being this age 20 years ago. Too busy chasing kids. Turning 30 was overwhelming (lots of new things happening around then), 40 was actually a non-event, but 50 was just weird.  I was becoming a mother in law, my youngest son was still in elementary school, my parents were aging, several close family members had just passed away, and my older kids no longer seemed to need a whole lot of attention. I wasn’t old but I wasn’t young, either. Where did I actually fit?  It was an odd place to be - bit of an abyss.    

One of the interesting things about getting older is that you start noticing things. Mostly stupid things, if you ask me. I wished that I had been a little more alert a few years back on some of this stuff, but maybe some of these lessons only come through living life. As they say … none are so blind as those who will not see.  Maybe I wasn’t ready to see.

Here are a few things that I’ve noticed:  fear and worry can be catalysts for what leads to short sighted decisions. Maybe you have to go through some rough or tough times on your life journey before some things make sense to you. It’s ok if you fail at something – that means you tried.  You don’t always deserve things. The end doesn’t always justify the means. Good things do happen to bad people and bad things do happen to good people.  Life isn’t always fair so suck it up. Even on lousy days, when everything feels drab – you don’t have to feel it as long as you know it … ‘the sun is still there and soon enough … it will shine again.’ It always does. No one respects a control freak so when you seem to be getting your way a lot … consider yourself … suspect. Sometime the consequence is the lesson and we have to let people figure that out and not always try to save them.  People with a strong faith and a good support system can endure a lot of painful experiences – be mindful that even something little you can do for someone can make a huge difference – to them.  Everyone needs a friend or a kind word – even if they act like they don’t. 

I’ve noticed that an awful lot of people complain about the same old things and do nothing different to make any changes.  I’ve also noticed that the level of stress that people can handle is often not very high even when our lives have become so much easier, physically and financially, than our ancestors. Our Great Grandparents would probably have raised their eyebrows if we told them that we were losing sleep because the car we ordered was STILL on back order or whatever your thorn in the side is.  Not to dismiss our struggles … but what we view as a struggle can be simply nothing more than an inconvenience. To someone that would have spent many difficult months and years enduring hardships we will never comprehend, hoping that freedom and a better life for their family would in fact, come in their lifetime – we probably would sound … dare I say it, spoiled.

I’ve also noticed that too many people are living unhealthy lifestyles, making excuses and criticizing those that choose to make some good changes.  Either way …. every 365 days we all seem to hang a new calendar and hear ourselves saying,  “Wow – where did the year go?”  

Wouldn’t it be mind-boggling to be able to say at the end of the year –

“This is how I spent the year  . . .  I

was busy going to my kids activities, did stuff to our house to make our home a welcoming place to be, learned new things, tried new foods and restaurants, got out of my comfort zone and signed up for something new, spent time with people who genuinely like my company, met new friends, travelled to places I’ve always wanted to go to, painted that room the colour that I totally loved but no one else did, sat in my cozy private space and read lots of books and drank lots of tea (and ate lots of my favourite snacks!!), indulged every now and again in something I enjoyed without feeling an ounce of regret (oh, maybe that’s where the snack thing comes in), lost that weight I wanted and needed to, tried all those recipes I’ve been saving forever, went on more date nights with my hubby, learned to let more things go, I tried my best to lighten up on the things that are not ‘mountains’, went on more one-on-one dinners with my kids, called my family more, spent time with people that are a joy to be around, did more spontaneous things, etc.”   If the 365 days are going to fly by anyway … I’d rather have done those things than say … “Well … it was pretty much same old same old.” 

We all know (in our heads anyway) we never can get back those wasted hours, days, weeks, etc.  But, we sure don’t want to get to an age and be regretting, regretting, regretting. Some one once told me … that’s how you get old … one unfulfilling day at a time.  Yikes.  Not that every day has to be “out there” but when you climb into  bed and feel that somehow there was something great about the day … then you know you are on the right track.  Don’t you think?  Who sits in front of the tv all day and night – day after day and says … “Wow – THOSE were GREAT days!”  … Well, maybe the lady in the left in the photo that I posted above…

I’m not a wild party gal but I think this year, I could kick it up a notch and be more enthusiastic in living out my days.  Living vs existing.  Not sure that many of realize we do that - move from day to day … trying to get by, not paying attention to the simple joys that surround us and actually make up ‘living’. Everything in life is a choice, isn’t it? Whether we choose to believe it or not.

Hey - if I’m going to notice something in retrospect … then it may as well be that this year had been much more meaningful and much more fulfilling than I had expected!  That would be kind of nice, I think.  

If you’re able to get out and about … then challenge yourself to make the best of the time you have. Not everyone will be fortunate enough to actually make through the next 365 days … stuff happens.  No guarantees.  But - what you are probably guaranteed is . . . no change = no change.

                                                                     See You Soon!