Whew, Glad That's Over

Exhaustion set in, the body and mind shuts down, and a great sigh was heard throughout the country, as all the packages were opened, the trash picked up, the parties completed, family came and left, and the New Year has moved into the present year. In exhaustion, finally finding the time to rest and recuperate, life slowly begins its transition back to normalcy, schedules, routine duties, car pools, work, and the life. It is over, for yet another year.

And then there are those who are already beginning the plans and expectations for the next upcoming Christmas season. My son announced today number of days until Christmas as my daughter told me maybe Christmas will come faster this year. The eyes of children, the joy they see in what our eyes have grown dim to, is wonder and joy we should all do our best to emulate. Their world can be so much more than the reality of ours. Why we choose to allow our minds to grow old is beyond me.

So, we will tell the stories of our Holidays for the next several days, attempting to hold onto the joy we’ve experienced, or, we will shift to other matters, doing our best to forget the misery and loneliness of the days gone by. Either way, life continues to move forward, and we have the choice to move with it or as Neal Young sang, “To fade away”. Our new year gives us new opportunities and adventures, if we are brave enough to walk that road. And with our desire to be more than we were the year before, we must also explore those roadblocks that get in our way, often created by ourselves and thrust upon ourselves, those emotional triggers, environmental cues, and entrenched habits that creep up in the weeks to come, spiraling us back into the same old ways of our pasts.

The secret often rests in where we choose to direct our minds and in what we put our faith in; a loving God, a dysfunctional family, a boss, money, etc. Breaking a habit and creating a new direction takes time, patience, perseverance, a plan, and good support. It also means being realistic about our goals and what we hope to change, to accomplish.

We need to devise a plan and a means to sticking with the plan, including who will support us, how we will surround ourselves with what and who will help us, and deciding who and what we need to avoid to succeed. We need to create our team of supportive people, those who will help us to become what Matthew Kelly would call, “the best version of ourselves”.

We need people who support our marriages, our goals, who will stand by us when we make mistakes (because we will) and who will hold us up and guide us forward in this journey. And when we do struggle and backslide, we need to keep going, trying new ways to achieve our goals. And in this road to authentic self, to a better “me”, we must never forget to rest soundly in the reality of our God and in the assurance of our Savior.

Let this be a year of goals and dreams, and let this also be a year where we find the strength to let go of control and expectations that were never ours to begin with. Let us begin to live one day at a time, practicing gratefulness and love, preparing our hearts and souls for newness and revival. Let us let go of the past, not dwell to heavily in the future, and live in the present. Let us stop surviving and begin living. Let us seek wisdom and guidance from our Everlasting God of all Creation. Happy New Year.


(The writings in this post are random thoughts and observations and are NEVER intended as professional or personal advice. Take what works and leave the rest. For information on mental health and/or substance abuse help, visit http://www.rodneyvalandra.com and refer to the links page.)