Joy in the Journey

And here we are at that time of year... everything starts over, starts new.. all the calendars are blank just asking to be filled in with activities.. trips.. every day happenings..appointments.. you name it. It is the awesome time of year that we drive ourselves crazy with all sorts of promises and resolutions and changes to be made in the new year.

I read my new years post from last year. Last year I was all about working on myself. I was feeling lost.. a little down.. and wanted to make sure I was going to take care of myself in the new year. I feel like I did pretty decent with that. I made sure to not overschedule myself.. make my health a priority (although this one I still need to work on)..I made sure to work on my friendships.. enjoy things just for me.. and make my marriage a priority.. I think I pretty much kept up with most of those things. But see even though at the end of the year I could actually say I kept my resolutions.. it wasn't as big of a deal as I thought it was... and here is why.

I am a list person. I need a grocery list each week. I make lists of to dos and such. So I can easily make a list of things I'd like to accomplish each year. But it is not the cut and dry. If I meet certain things on my list then sometimes other areas get neglected. Sure I can make time for date nights because they are so important.. but then I feel bad about something left undone at home.. or feel bad leaving the kids.. it is somehow always a give and take. So while I took care of myself more...it was a constant battle of making sure that because I was choosing to do that, then what was being sacrificed for that.

This year I decided to take a different approach. Instead of making a list of all of the things that I'd like to do...or accomplish ..or take care of.. I am simply going to make sure I am enjoying life. I heard a phrase the other day. "joy in the journey" .... Life is a journey.. full of ups and downs and everything in between. So as long as I'm finding joy in the my journey I will be content. Different things.. different people.. different events or times of year will bring me joy in different ways. If that's what I focus on.. then the battle of balance on what is important in life will work itself out. Sometimes it is going to be easier to put my needs above others.. sometimes impossible. Sometimes life is going to be hard.. and scary..  but there is still something .. there is always something to find joy in.

My journey can end tomorrow.. or fifty years from now.. no one knows. But one thing I do know is this.. God gave my sons me as a mother for a reason. I am what they got.. and it is my job to show them and teach them the beauty of life.. it is my job to help them learn how to navigate their own journeys.. and that no matter what there is joy in the journey.. sometimes its hard to find or sometimes it feels like the joy is non existent.. but its there.

So for the new year.. its about focusing on and celebrating the joy in my journey.. and settling myself down because once I find the joy..everything else will fall into place.

Happy 2016!