A Brand New Day

As I start this morning, sitting in the office at my house, watching the sun peak as it glides above the houses and reflects its glow off of simple suburban objects, I have hope. Today is a brand new day. Yesterday carries many memories for me as do all my yesterdays. Today is new and regardless of what your yesterday showed you, it is done and cannot be undone. Therefore, you have today. I am reasured that life is here through the song of the morning bird that sits on my porch and sings to me. I am comforted knowing that there are people out there, some near and others far, that truly love me and would be there if I called. Why do we choose to be stuck in yesterdays? We cannot live in the past. It does nothing for us and ingnoring today is worse. We have to acknowledge what is in front of us now...even if it hurts...even if you don't want to...even if you think you can't...even if you are not sure how. Putting your head in the sand and letting life pass you by is no way to live...because you're not. You live for someone else everyday you live. You mean something (probably more than you think) to someone else. It is perfectly ok to admit that you have fallen and are unsure how to get up. There are people that are just waiting...waiting...for you to say those words, "I need you." Emotions and feelings can take us from pure elation and awe to despair and make us want to crumble. Today is YOUR day! You are strong and confident and you are here for a reason. It is not my job to find that reason for you...that you must do on your own. My job is to get you to believe that you are here for a reason. Your reason is in your heart and it will never steer you wrong. It will be more clear to you than anything else. You are brand new today. Show it!

New Year, New You

Happy New Year, everyone. I hope this finds you well as we begin a new year. Have you started on your new year's resolutions? I made a few, but since last year when I started this journey, I am not sure where these will take me. Some are goals for fitness, some are rebuilding past relationships, and others are about where my passion is leading me. This blog has always had the theme of "It Starts Today" and yet we only really sit down to begin something new around the first of Janaury, like it is a "magical" day or something. But you can start anything on any day! It does not have to be related to the day and month on the calendar. We can begin a new at any time because we have control over that and can make changes all of the time. Old habits are hard to break - especially those that have been around for many years, and even decades. I am a perfect example of that. We can start new and fresh at any time - we just have to be willing to work for it and accept that those things worth working for are not going to happen over night. We did not get where we are over night, so how can we expect the solution over night? That is being unrealistic and therefore, setting us up for absolute failure. What do you want to be different about this next year? Do you want to start a new career? Learn to play the piano? Build relationships in your community? Give more time to your church? Excuses are easy to find and everyone has them, so they are nothing new or personal to you. I have tried to plant the seeds so that you can take whatever you will from these posts and try to make changes in your life for the better. I started this blog for me, and someone suggested I share it. Never, in wildest dreams did I ever think I would be where I am today after a year of this journey. My dad pointed out in a recent card that because I have never taken the easy road, I may have forgotten to see the rewards of my endeavors that I encountered along the way. Whether your road has been easy or tough, it is yours. But the past is the past and will forever be an anchor and until you pull it up, you will never be able to sail towards your future. Start the New Year with a New You - you won't regret it. I promise you.

Doing something we don't want to

Yesterday, I shared my thoughts and fears with this friend I spoke about in my previous blog. I was very honest, upset, vulnerable, and just laid it all out there for her. Only she and God know what she thought as I shared some of my deepest thoughts and worries about our friendship. She told me that she did not want to make me feel uncomfortable and make me do something that I did not want to do. Guess what? That's exactly what I needed her to do. I needed her to make me do something I was reluctant to do. She has been doing that for a few months now. Think about it - from when we were small children, our parents pushed us to do our chores, told us to get good grades, that we needed to practice our instruments. We didn't want to. For what purpose? To teach us a lesson, to make us better, so that we have something to look forward to, etc. In life, that never ends. Now, we have bosses that want us to do our jobs right, kids that need to be taken to soccer practice, etc. It never ends. But the best part is that it should never end. Those people in our lives that make us do things we don't want to (or are reluctant to do) are doing us a favor, but we don't like it because we didn't ask for it. So, sometimes, that makes us mad and resentful. I have to be willing to "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" instead of feeling the fear and running away. If I do that, I never get better and never change my life. I felt stronger yesterday and even today, because I was so honest with her and have decided to let her in. Her husband says, "It is what it is." I agree. Whenever you feel like you are doing something you don't want to, try to find the benefit for you. I am sure there is one.