2018. The Resolution to Live

I just got tired of buying gram weight scales and mini carbohydrate counting books. You remember those books? Each New Years week they would miraculously appear at the checkout of ever grocery store across the land. And every year I would buy one to complement my cart full of good intentions. I would drag my husband through the aisles, carefully reading each box flap to ensure that this would meet my dietary allowances as I moved into my resolution for yet another year. He would just nod his head as I chattered about my plans for domination of a life long battle with Cheesies, as I’d grab a bag of shrunken parsnips sea salted and baked to provide the illusion that I was eating something more appealing than parsnips.. sea salted and baked.

And every single New Years morning I would wake to a momentary sensation of victory only to be followed by the shocking realization that I wasn’t getting Captain Crunch for breakfast anymore. I’d stumble out to the kitchen, pour a cup of coffee and the demise would begin in that moment. Skim milk on top of my coffee. Ughh. Nothing in life is less appealing than coffee that resembles something one might find floating in the top of the shower drain.

I’d promise the skim that I’d try again tomorrow and coddle the carton of cream from yesteryear. I’d wander to the living room where my husband would inevitably find me. He’d cock his head to one side and raise his eyebrows as I would quickly attempt to hide the shortbread that I found on my journey to the couch.  With crumbs trailing across my lips like evidence at a crime scene, I would quickly admonish him for his obvious lack of support because he neglected to clear the area of all temptation on December 31st.

One week later he would call out from the kitchen that something in the fridge was attempting escape.
“There’s something in here trying to get out!” he would yell. On closer inspection I would recognize the two heads of lettuce and the fresh spinach that were now oozing into the other like some alien science experiment in effective cohabitation.

I Have Learned Better

Sometimes we are intended to lean to the cookie jar and savor some sweetness. It’s in understanding this that we can be OK with this.

I’d like to thank all those on the spirit side for teaching me some very important lessons. My hand over heart for helping me to understand that schedules are not formed by us but created for us to get the most of this journey we have chosen.

I’ve learned many things along the way. Most importantly I have learned that life can’t be planned. If I have taken one thing from my work it is that life can only be lived.

Life doesn’t really care what you schedule for it. Life only intends to allow you to experience what it can provide for you in each moment and that includes the kale and the cheesecake. That includes the failures and the victories. It includes the delights of stolen kisses and the regrets of what if’s.

Here are some “resolutions” we can all stick to.

To breath each morning and be grateful.

To love ourselves enough to accept that we are worthy of all love we receive.

To allow ourselves the failures and to be proud of our accomplishments.

To allow others their missteps without condemnation and judgement.

To live authentically whether we choose a good health day or a slide day.

To not allow anyone else to take away from the choice we make.

To eat the ice cream. To pour copious amounts of chocolate sauce on top. To ignore the looks of those who think they know better for you and what you need in this moment of your life.

To experience profound joy.

To experience profound grief.

To live. To breath. To laugh. To cry.

To hurt. To heal. To anger and to smile.

To breath. Each moment we are given.

To experience.

Everything.

Once.

Even kale.

You won’t know what you missed if you spent your days weighing your life into grams and measurements, rights and wrongs, should I or shouldn’t I.

Just do what feels right in this moment.

Allowing the universe to flow…

And remember this…

The universe has a pocket full of curve balls. And those curve balls turn into last moments. And those moments turn into last memories.

Happy New Day 2018. All others beyond this day are not guaranteed. Live it fully.

And keep a jar of cookies beside the skim milk.

 

In love, in light, in shortbread and sugar cookies…

Tania