Preparing for 2015

Here we are again starting a new year. This evening while the rest of the world parties and plans to squeeze in one last night of vices I am doing the exact opposite. I am washing laundry, putting my now two-year-old baby girl to bed and planning my goals for 2015.

I am startled by how quickly this year had passed.  I realize I am no better than I was this time last year.  I do believe I was overly ambitious with my goals.  Reflecting on how things have gone in 2014 I decided to be more realistic this time.

I am going to be more forgiving with myself.  Life is not like a design magazine.  We have all seen those articles where a gorgeous family live perfectly in a gorgeous house and everything seems too perfect.  It is! They are styled and staged like any other photo in a magazine.  Life is messy. Laundry piles up. Kids make messes.  Dinner is not always awesome. Mom stays in sweatpants some days.  That is real and still happy moments happen.

I am going to focus on the everyday and keep it real.  I will not punish myself for not living life like a magazine.  I will take it one day at a time and rejoice with my accomplishment.

I want to be less attached to material things.  Letting go makes room for other things in life. I will not suffer with less. Quality over quantity. 

There is a garland hanging from the chalk board in my kitchen made of old photos. They are everyday moments and great accomplishments but all are precious and worth remembering.  I keep them there to remind me to always be present in the moment and notice the everyday.  They are moments never to be repeated. I will appreciate the little things because they add up to something great. A life well lived.