as i reflect on 2017, what i think the most interesting thing is that not very much has changed at all, and yet i am in a much better place. pretty cool realization, as it puts things in a whole lot of perspective.
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can. ~Danny Kaye
i have had the good fortune to travel on some incredibly awesome roads in my life. and i have carried a lot of pieces of those journeys with me as i continue on. the best part about where i am, right now, is that i feel like this is where i should be. and the reason why? probably because i am trying to take more in, and absorb more of the lessons that come my way. what i am taking away from 2017:
be kind to yourself. its not anyone elses job to make you feel better, or recognize your accomplishments. its not their job to build you up or entertain you. social media may tell us otherwise, but the reality is that happiness and peace and satisfaction are yours to find. and that starts with being nicer to YOU. in whatever form that takes. i stopped using filters this year. which seems kind of silly. but it allowed me to stop being so critical of every detail of every picture. pictures once again became "moments", instead of opportunities to criticize or critique. and even though i still notice the flaws (i am aging, after all), i'm just nicer to myself about them. it makes it easier to see how big my boys are getting, and the fun stuff they still let me make them do. i cant enjoy the memories if i cant get past visual. and the visual just isnt that important in the grand scheme.
I will not ask that you nor you approve. The wild thyme is itself nor asks consent of rose nor reed. ~Muriel Strode
understand that priorities change. and so do people. i had a super fun run of softball, for a lot of years. i made good friends and spent a lot of time with them. and then that changed. and that is okay. i dont need to be the same person i was 5 years ago. life changes fast. kids grow up and start new things. time becomes more challenging to manage. and things shift. there doesnt need to be a big complicated reason for change. change just happens. and thats cool too. you get to embrace new things. and for me, i found that embracing change, made it so much easier to accept.
The kaleidoscope of colour which is my life, shows the interesting choices I've made along the way. ~Antie Koekie
the wagon is always waiting for you to get back on it. i dont know what magic that is, but its never too late to start over, or again. i think the best life lesson i learned this year - and i have no idea why NOW it sunk in - is that putting things off never makes it easier. eating better, or working out, or cleaning the closet, or grocery shopping. nothing gets any easier or less annoying by putting it off. we tend to push back the things we dont want to do. i cant tell you how many times i have heard, ill be back next month - or next week - or next whatever. its so much easier to push to that "next" than it is to just bite the bullet and START. i put myself on a schedule this year. got more organized. mostly so that i could hold myself accountable. and not just let time keep getting away from me. especially at work. i tend to push tasks off that i dont like. and for some reason, this year i just did a better job tackling them. putting things off ALWAYS makes them worse. it only took me 46 years to finally get that.
To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing. ~Eva Young
travel together. the funny part for me, is that i could not accomplish anything at all, by myself. i function best as part of a team - a unit. my family is obviously the heart of my whole gig. im lucky that for most of the fun stuff, ive also gotten to drag my sister and dad along. but as it pertains to the gym, my "team" really came together this year. and as a unit, we had such a great 2017. at least from where i am sitting. the studio has been an evolution. its my passion as much as anything. and my sanity. when it stopped being about me, and became about "us", we really hit our stride. and probably no one even noticed. the programming stayed the same. our workouts didnt suddenly get easier. we didnt add a bunch of new people. so probably from the outside, its NOT better. but inside, it is. the studio became a place this year where we shared goals. we brainstormed challenges. we teamed up for competitions, and came together in the PREP for them. the studio became the place we strategized, and rallied. we cheered for each other and celebrated success. it stopped being just another place to workout, and became a club. a group of people, who at this time, are travelling this particular road, together. and for however long it lasts, i'm grateful.
A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and his contribution to praise the skills of the others. ~Norman Shidle
Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: "I am with you kid. Let's go."
~Maya Angelou
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