I’ve had a wonderful year. There’s that quote from One Tree Hill where Nathan says “One day you’re seventeen and planning for someday. And then quietly and without you ever really noticing, someday is today”. I feel that way about this year. One day I was planning for it to start and just a day later, I’m chit chatting about it ending. In between there, I managed to accomplish a few things that I feel good about.
No. This is the year that I finally learned to say no. If I didn’t want to do it, I passed. If the dress didn’t fit properly, I took it back to the store. If my feelings were hurt, I confronted them. This was just a year of saying no to displeasure and I feel better for it.
Stretch. In addition to saying no, I have really been making an effort to stretch myself. Last December, I started a new career path which has challenged this self proclaimed introvert. Each day I’ve stretched to perform a little better, do a little more, all while making sure that I stay true to who I really am. This is a concept I have been applying not just at work but also in my day to day life. If I can be a little kinder, I am. If there is a show that isn’t necessarily the genre I would usually enjoy, I at least try to give it a chance. If I can go to the gym, if only for twenty minutes, I do.
Or. It’s also been the year of the ultimatum for me. According to every skill finder test ever, I am harmonious. I try to create harmony and peace where ever I am. This often means that I people please and in pleasing others, I rarely please myself. This year I have been doling out a lot of the word “or”. I would like to be treated this way or we can not continue this relationship… You need to pull your weight by this date or I can no longer help you… I demand this kind of love as demonstrated by… or I can no longer engage. You would be surprised at how easy it is to be met half way when you make your intentions both known and quantifiable.
Fear I feel like I’m playing double dutch in life, standing on the sideline, constantly trying to figure out when the best moment is to get in. And fear gives me such a hard time getting in. This year, I have really thrown fear out the window. If there is something I had a tingle of wanting to do, I did it and those are some of the moments I remember best.
Love. It seems all of our closest friends got engaged this year and it’s really got me thinking about how I love and how I like to be loved. This year, I have loved better than ever before especially in my own home within my own marriage. It seems my husband and I have hit our stride. Our relationship has hit this gentle streak where we are able to just coast and its wonderful.
There are tangibles a plenty from this year but like every other year, what I am really working on are the intangibles. What did you work on this year, even if you didn’t realize you were working on it at the time?
XOXO Prepfordwife