Celebrate Life Continued
It’s the last Monday of 2020. I can feel the countdown toward the end of the year, and yet all I can think about is how life is simply a continuation of. It’s easy to see life in circles, one year and then another, planners that begin and end on the same dates each time. It can feel like a circling, but I’m not looking to repeat the past, I want to keep on keeping on. I don’t want 2021 to look like 2020, and I also don’t want 2021 to look like 2019 either.
Before I go on, I feel like it’s important to pause and say that you didn’t miss your opportunity. You still have a chance. Just because it didn’t happen this year, doesn’t mean it won’t happen. We have new things to look forward to and current things to continue. We have lessons learned and new opportunities to grow in. We have some things that need to be put in the past in order to embrace new dreams. We haven’t missed out unless we’re missing out on today.
Life isn’t meant to be perfect. 2020 wasn’t supposed to be perfect. Sometimes I think I pursue perfection a little too closely. I try to control what I can’t. We can’t control what we’ve been through, but we can control our perception and perspective of every experience. I’m not saying candy coat the hard times, but don’t translate all the negative turns to be ditches that left you stranded. You’re not stranded.
Of course, there was a point in 2020 where I had to recognize that the stress was real, and it was really hard. I had to slow myself down to process everything. But as far as I’m concerned, life has always been unprecedented in that way. I think in ways, I just forgot how fragile it all is and I took some things for granted. I stand corrected and I’m grateful for the correction. I’m doing my best not to take things for granted today.
It’s easy to give the new year all the credit to start over, but we don’t have to wait to “start fresh.” I firmly believe that we can start fresh every day. That’s what I’m focusing on, the resilience of each day. I’m taking advantage of life continued, and finding refreshment when I need it. Real life doesn’t end and begin all neat, tidy and organized like the chapters in a book. There are too many thoughts and words and experiences in between. But I’m not looking to skim any pages of my life. I want to read every single word and be present enough to make every moment worth it.
I guess I just want to encourage you to be careful in how you translate this year. How we translate our past affects how we live in the moment and can therefore impact our future. Equip yourself by stewarding your life well. If you need to start over, do it today. If it’s Monday, don’t wait until Friday. Don’t wait for the excuse of a new year, trust the small ways you can improve and start them as soon as you can. I don’t want to wait to learn what I need to learn today.
Raise your expectation for what’s to come and don’t limit yourself with your own definition for what today should look like. Life can actually be better than what you think. If it isn’t, let yourself process and give yourself time to heal, but keep moving forward. Look ahead and celebrate your life in the way it continues on.
