The holidays have been good to my family and me. Wonderful
in fact, but for some reason, possibly lack of motivation, I find myself less
than enthused about new years resolutions this year. Maybe—with the kids home from school—my house
has been a mess for too long. Maybe all the holiday fun just wore me out. I’m
usually a very goal centered gal but history has shown that I am often failing
to meet or even get past the paper stage of my goals.
I would love to be softer spoken with my kids, more intimate
with my husband, and spend more one on one time with everyone in my family. I
would love to have a perfectly organized and clean home, finished and decorated
to match the dream in my mind. I would love to have the patience of a saint,
the knowledge to help my kids in all their struggles at school, with friends, and
with life, but I already know I will fall short of such perfection. After all,
a year is a long time to be perfect in so many areas—and I’ve only just begun.
Before you all start falling into a Michelle induced troubled and discouraged state, let me tell you about my redeeming moment today. I was talking
with a friend who confided her desire simply not to “lose it” with the kids.
She was trying so hard only to find herself feeling unappreciated and
disrespected. This of course is a hard thing for any parent. As she talked
through things with me she said, “We just have to take it one day at a time.”
Well it’s true! Life isn’t about eating the whole pie in one
sitting—or brownies if you prefer—it’s about enjoying it one bite, one piece
at a time. I don’t have to be “perfect” for a year, or even an entire day. New year’s
resolutions always fill me with the need to attain perfection within such a
small window of life. Perfection is a misleading word anyway. I would like to
redefine perfection from the idea of never making a mistake, to the reality of
simply working to be better than you were yesterday. I am still definitely a
believer in goal setting, but it seems a lot more doable when I take it one day
at a time.
What does all of this mean to me? It means that even though
yesterday I had a “my house is a disaster and no-one’s helping” breakdown,
today I can vacuum the floors, scrape up the food that’s leaching onto my tile,
and keep up with the laundry (I was shy of completion by one load—and a pile of
unfolded laundry on my couch). It means that even though I spent too much time
and energy cleaning this morning, I can do better spending time with Ella on
her homework tonight and more time reading with Julia. It means that even
though my husband hurt my feelings yesterday, today I can forgive, give him a
kiss and be happy. It means that when Jackson wipes curry all over my white
shirt at dinner I can be patient in that one moment—I think I did a pretty good
job. It means that when I get upset at the kids for arguing I can take the next
moment to apologize and teach them. One moment at a time, one day at a time,
working for a better me and a happier family.
Hmm, I think I’ve come up with my new years resolution. Enjoy life with us, one moment and one day at a time!
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I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and I hope the new year brings great opportunity for hope and joy for you and your family. My blogs will now be posted on Tuesday's. Happy New Year!
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