Memo To The World

Recently, as some of you might know, I came down with whooping cough. I was basically "out of commission" for a month... During that time, a lot happened. My husband and I had a critical moment in our marriage, my grandmother had last-minute open heart surgery, and an extremely close friend lost someone very dear to them. It really made me re-evaluate my life. I began doing some reading into simplifying your life... and what it really means to take care of yourself. This brought on more personal issues as I delved deeper into why I am the way I am, and how much has changed in my life over the past five years. I began asking myself why I was taking advantage of life... why I don't take more time for prayer and meditation...why I struggle with weight... why I was becoming so stressed out over trivial issues... This brought me to a conclusion- I bring this on myself.
I had become so wrapped up in just everything- I had forgotten to take care of me. Now given, my life has been a whirlwind the past few years, but that's no excuse for someone to not take the high road.

So after doing some praying, more reading, and soul searching... I have decided to say no. "What?" you say... "Say no to what?"... I am saying no to excuses; no to bad judgment; and no to actions that don't reflect the person that I want to be.

I'm sure most of you are thinking... meh- this is a phase she's going through... she'll get tired of it. But that is exactly why I'm publishing this... by posting this to review by my friends, family, and even strangers- I am allowing people to openly see my struggles. Making intentions public automatically mean that I can be held accountable to this change.

What am I changing? Little things- which are, in the end, the biggest things. I began by going through my closet and getting rid of clothing that I never wear. To me, this symbolized ridding myself of unnecessary materialism. I then looked at my average day, and forced myself to rework my schedule to include only the things that I considered important and that make me happy.... and an AMAZING thing has happened!! I've found more time to do things I love!!! I'm no longer stressed out in the mornings when we're running around the house getting ready to leave... I enjoy sitting down and eating breakfast and watching cartoons with my daughter... I love going to work being prepared- but relaxed throughout the day.. I LOVE going to pick up my daughter and going to the park, or going for a walk without thinking that I need to be doing other things. Since I made more time in my day, I actually have time to think about me, and what I need to do for myself so that I'm at MY best... so I've starting reading the bible again daily, taking time to pray and meditate on what I've read and what's on my heart- to write it down... Being able to do this- reminded me that my body IS a temple.. and I need to take care of it- so I joined a gym so that I'm able to work out during my lunch. I consider working out a release, and this new trend keeps me energized throughout my day. I am really excited about this lifestyle "update"... and really feel good about making a change.

We only have one life, and I plan on living it to the fullest in the best way possible. I encourage you to do one thing- jot down the most important four or five things in your life... then look at your average day. How can you make your days better? What needless tasks can you eliminate? How much do you watch TV, or spend on the computer at home? What can you change so that you're spending more time doing what you love? Ask yourself those questions, and I promise, you'll want to "update your life" as well!!!