MamaBlooMarriage. Motherhood. Life.

New Year’s and Breathing

§ January 1st, 2010 § Filed under Articles, Reflections & Confessions § Tagged Goals, Life § 4 Comments

January 1^st just doesn’t resonate with me as “the new year”.  Perhaps it is all my years of teaching and now with school age children, but the day after Labor Day in September is the “new year” for me.  I love the Fall, sweatshirts, new shoes, crisp leaves, school supplies and the kiddos moving up to a new grade with new adventures in wait.  A much more organic time for me to reflect.

January just is not that way.  I mean, first of all, we are not even ½ way through the school year.  It is cold. We usually have colds. And, it is cloudy.  That big glowing ball is usually a recluse and so am I. I also feel about 46 pounds heavier after eating my way through the holidays.  Ugh. Not the time to pat myself on the back and focus on moving ahead.

Or maybe it is.

Last year my home group leader asked us each to come up with one word to guide our life for 2009.  One word.  Just one.  For someone as verbose as me there was an inherent challenge. But I did it. My one word was “BREATHE”.   As the deep intellectual that I am (ha! ha!), this word was significant for me on many levels.  At the time, I was 6 months pregnant – so breathing had a sorta pratical and literal reality for me,  but also I wanted to breathe in my life (this is the deep part) to look at my family, to remember them, to breathe them in and really SEE them.  And then, I also need to relax.  I am always putting WAY too much pressure on myself to be perfect and to create perfection around me.  That old 80’s expression “going with the flow” might as well be written in a foreign language with some sort of math problem next to it – that is about how much I “get” that concept.  So, breathing became a mantra of flowing, or relaxing, of taking life as it comes – even its imperfections.

I would give myself a solid B- on my year guided by BREATHE.  And I am pleased with my grade.  I’ll take  it (see how I am flowing… see…see..?). I had my holding-my-breath moments and a few that might have looked like I even needed CPR.  But mostly, I think having that one word to guide me, helped me enjoy life just a bit more in 2009.  Nothing like reminding yourself to BREATHE to keep things real, eh? 

I will need a new word for 2010 – perhaps “Wealth” or “Lottery-Winner” would work.  I will have to give it some reflection and let ya’all know.

What word would you come up with the guide your 2010?  Discipline?  Humor? Quiet?  Love? Service?  Receiving?  Giving?  Life?  Post a comment and let me know!

Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!