Looking Ahead

December has come in like a lion in our house.  A virus with high fevers that lasts for days makes for a lot time spent at home.  It's given me the opportunity to slow down a bit, read, and really think about the upcoming New Year.

2015 has been a year of reaching goals, celebrating our victories, and enjoying a lot of adventures on the road.  It's been an amazingly productive year and we have worked hard to set ourselves up for a less stressful future.

2016 is shaping up to look very similar, but filled with new goals, projects, and adventures. It's also going to be a year of change.  Positive change.  Much-needed change.

I have spent some time mulling ideas around in my head and forming some concrete goals for change.  The saying, "Old habits die hard," comes to the forefront of my mind when I think about making these changes, but I, together with my husband and family, am going to prove that no-good saying wrong.

You see, it's time to re-focus on what's most important:  relationships.  People.  Those living within the walls of our home, our friends and family we hold so dear, and those we encounter in our daily lives whom we do not even know.  It is time to start seeing people for who they are, accepting them as they are, and acknowledging and helping those who are in need in whatever capacity we can.

Forget the stuff.  None of that matters.  The only thing that truly matters are the relationships we develop, cultivate, and grow.

Forget the ego-centric, entitled, self-absorbed slope our society seems to be sliding down.  So much that I read says we are raising an entitled generation of kids.  I hate to say it, but typically it seems that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Few people want to be "doers."  After all,  stepping up, taking the lead, and actively engaging in your community takes time.  Many assume others have more time; that someone will come forward and lead so they don't have to.  People perceive their time to me more limited, more valuable than others, yet often those that choose to be "doers" have little time leftover because they're filling the roles others will not.  We all make decisions on how we spend the twenty-four hours we're given each day. Some choose to do, others choose to silently sit on the sidelines, and still others choose to complain yet offer none of their time to improve the situation.        

If you're not a "doer," I challenge you to take the time to reflect on how you use your time.  Somewhere in your schedule, there has to be time for you to fill a role in the community in which you live.  We all need to show up for each other.  We need to set an example for our children and SHOW them what it means to be part of a community.  We need to do our part to connect people and help those who are struggling in our communities.  We're all able...we just need to make the choice to do so.

2015 was the Year to Get Sh*t Done.  2016 is going to be the Year to Get Sh*t Done AND the Year of People.  I can't wait to see where this year takes me personally, as well as my family.  The people I will meet, the benefits of giving of our time and resources, and the change we can make leading those in our community is exciting.  The journey continues.