Promises

I am not a big New Year’s resolution maker, although the year is coming to an end and a new one beginning, I don’t feel that way about my life. It is continuous, it doesn’t stop.  Life is always evolving and changing, things happen that are out of our control, all we can do is continue on the journey. We can’t make it stop and start again, we must just carry on. So with that in mind, instead of resolutions, I often spend a bit of time reaffirming the promises I have made to myself as I journey along the road called life.

So here goes:

• I will continue to greet each new day with gratitude. Grateful for the life I have been given, grateful for the people I get to share it with and grateful to be able to enjoy it for one more day.
• I will continue to take time each day to connect with the earth. Hiking, running, playing outside, shovelling the snow in winter, gardening in the summer, I will take the time to get out there, breath and feel the fresh air on my face.
• I will continue to enjoy life. I only have one life, given to me to enjoy; I intend to enjoy it to its fullest.
• I will continue to treasure each and every day I receive. It is a gift, and I intend to use it.
• I will continue to strive to live in the moment. This one is always a challenge for me; I am a planner and always looking ahead. Being a mom has definitely changed this. Reece lives in the moment, for him yesterday and tomorrow don’t exist, only now, which means I too have to live in the now with him. So, because of him this promise gets a little easier each day.
• I will continue to work at judging less, both myself and others. We are all on our own paths and while your path may be different than mine, it is not wrong, just different. And there is no need for me to judge you or your decisions, if you are happy, then so be it, I can be happy for you too. 
• As a family we will work together to stay on the path of slowing down and living simply.

While nothing is guaranteed, what I can say for sure is that I will continue to work on the promises I made to myself.  They are promises which make me a better and happier person. There is no doubt that 2012 will have its struggles but it also promises to be full of joy and hope too; for it is only through struggle that we can find hope and the joy which follows.

What promises are you reaffirming today to ensure you live your best life?