Being Present In The New Year

Cheers To The New Year

I am a planner and a dreamer. I always have been. I literally love planning in all its forms — making lists, creating schedules for now and next year, decorating my planner and outlining my week, mapping lesson plans and units and curriculum, imagining future years and my life ahead, investigating things I plan to accomplish 5 years from now, so on and so forth. I have a tendency to want to live in the future.

If you caught last week’s post – Merry Christmas, Our Angel Ali – you can understand why I now say with confidence, nothing is guaranteed. So here I am, torn between this natural inclination to dream of the future and this sometimes overwhelming fear and anxiety about what I might actually find there, all the things we cannot control.

I know it’s New Year, and everyone is talking about setting goals and picking themes and choosing your word. And trust me, I am all about that. (I’ll let you know my word when I discover it.) I also have my goals, I have the things I want to accomplish, I have my plans for each month, each week, each day. I’m definitely not saying that you SHOULDN’T do those things.

But I AM saying that you should also remember — look around you. What’s in your PRESENT? Breathe. What can you cherish TODAY? What can you be grateful for?

Pause. Give an extra kiss at goodbye.

Stop. Do the dishes later, and play “fishing” with your kid.

Sure, we can’t do those things all the time. We can’t set aside all of our responsibilities, we can’t give up all of our own time, and sometimes we are just in a rush. But try not to make every second of every day a rush. Try not to ONLY think about the next — the next hour, the next day, the next year, the next item on your to-do list. I know it’s easier said than done, but just… try.

My Affirmations

I for sure struggle with this, so I have created a few affirmations to help me cope. Some of these I actually heard from others, and they were just what I needed, and some I crafted myself. I just wanted to share these in case they might help you. They aren’t groundbreaking or anything, but they are things I try to remember.

I am present today.

I have this moment.

I have all the time I need.

The world is as it should be. (I’ll admit – I struggle with this one BIG TIME. I don’t even know that I believe it. But I also don’t know what else to believe?)

I can handle this.

I am giving my kids everything they need. (Mom-guilt here!)