The end of the year has crept upon me in a way that hasn’t happened since the pandemic. How can it be Christmas Eve tomorrow? I just barely wrapped the presents! Sitting here wondering where the time went, I realize that my life recently has been filled with distractions. Phone scrolling, online shopping (which looks a lot like window shopping these days), signing up for events and get-togethers I don’t really care about – this is what my life looks like of late. No wonder I didn’t see the days dwindling down. My mind isn’t even HERE.
The pace of life has undoubtedly picked up, not just for me but for everyone else, too. As the New Year rolls around, I have made a promise to live with intention (again!) . Dock the phone, say no, delete social media, reduce the work load and other tactics of ridding distractions. At the same time, I am making a choice to pivot from 2023. At the beginning of this year, I made the announcement online that we were expecting big changes. And I decided to leave everything open ended. But to live with intention requires steadfast focus. I am ready to become me again and grab life by the reigns. And I want to teach my son that by choosing to be intentional, we can create a wonderful life.
Reflecting on this year, I realize that leaving things open-ended may have helped me adjust physically, but it wasn’t good for my mental health. My life turned towards sloth activities that weren’t feeding my soul. And I think somewhere in the back of my mind, that nagged at me. At the same time, I wish I did less of what didn’t add value to my life. I would describe my first part of motherhood as being lost, and I was saying yes to everything without thinking. So I am spending the next few days making lists for 2024. I am putting away the phone and clearing my agenda. I am creating the next year to be Casey’s best one yet. And maybe mine, too.
Stay tuned for the list. And Merry Christmas!
