Monday, December 30, 2013

What I Learned In December

Wow! I absolutely loved this month. Maybe it was because I felt like I was finally getting into the swing of things this year OR maybe it was because I was just happy to not be as busy as I usually am. For the last several years, I've volunteered for the Angel Tree program at The Salvation Army in Orlando but this year, a lot has changed (primarily leadership) and with changes, comes a lot of new and not always the "old" help.

So moving forward, I learned a lot this month including how to break that down in a list of five...

1 - Just because it has always been doesn't mean it always has to be. 

What are you doing that you've always done that just isn't quite working for you and your family any longer. Are you happy when you think about it or does it bring up negative feelings? If it's the latter, then you may want to reconsider.

2. Breathing is good for everything

Thanks to a great new yoga studio that has opened near my house, I've been reminded of the value and the power of my breath which takes me back to where I need to be and fills my soul. So simple. So easy. But still, we forget.

3. Love. 


When you are in the midst of confrontation, enlightenment or what comes between all of that...Sometimes, love is literally all you need to respond to your family or to your friends.

4. Family doesn't always look like you think it should.

My brother and I have been attending church together and the week before Christmas we were reminded about the family of Jesus. The way they may have "looked" to people. Often we forget that family is not always what you think it should be and not who you would expect. Sometimes it's a friend that has come to your rescue time and time again or your little brother who has taught you more about persistence and learning the hard way than anyone else or a few wise men bringing gifts. Family is bigger than you can imagine.

5. My golf game reminded me that no matter how well you played previously, it means nothing in the next round.

Every day is a new day and every choice is a new possibility. When you think you know or have figured it out, life sends up yet another way to remember that it's a journey not a destination.

Here's to you, your family (the one that you didn't choose and the one you did), your health and your well-being. May you head into 2014 with an open heart and full breaths to take in all of the beauty that the light in your heart brings every day.