If I’ve learned nothing else in my 41 years, I’ve learned these two very important truths about myself:
1) Deciding to start a new diet on New Year’s Day typically means I act like December 15 – 31 is the end of the world as we know it and end up eating buckets full of chip dip (oh my beloved velveeta) and a bag full of chocolate covered potato chips (those are a real thing) in preparation for “having to be good.” This makes January 1 and the salads that come with it very depressing.
2) Only God knows what the new year will bring. Trying to plan ahead and be amazing and full of will power and resolving to make this THE BEST YEAR EVER has always left me disappointed within two weeks when one of my kids starts puking or my printer gets jammed or my favorite mug breaks (all at the same time – don’t picture it).
Indeed, the only resoluting I do now is to be resolute about resolutions. That sentence is either profound, or it barely makes sense. But you have to admit, it sounds better than if I had tried making a profound sentence using the word “indeed.” Indeed, the only indeeding I do is to be indeedy about indeedness. Chew on that one a while (or not).
It’s too easy to put my goals on a pedestal, then to feel like a failure when life happens and I don’t achieve perfection. It’s best if I leave my goals and planning at the Lord’s feet. It’s also best if I only munch lightly on the chocolate covered chips and dip on New Year’s Eve, savoring each bite while smiling lovingly at my children while relishing in the moment and all that good stuff.
Now, with that said, I will share that there are so many areas in my life I long to improve. I don’t have any specific plans (because that would be resoluting and I think I’ve been clear on how I feel about that), but you can be sure I will be very prayerful about how I can have a wonderful, kingdom focused, and healthier than ever 2015.
Ah, healthy living. What if instead of resolving to do one BIG thing this new year, we all simply resolve to take many consistent and intentional baby steps toward a healthier lifestyle? Doesn’t that sound much more doable? Doesn’t that sound refreshing? Doesn’t that sound indeedy? (sorry, I had to bring it back just one time.)
Leave a comment and share ways you hope to improve your health and the health of your family during 2015? As for me, I look forward to continuing my big fruit and veggie campaign for my family (and yours!), as well as continuing on a consistent personal work-out routine. I feel so much better when I do these things!
Let’s be healthy together!
I have many goals for the year. But I like goals so it works for me. The biggest change is to stop compromising on our purchases. We need to buy the best choice, not the easiest choice. I also want to own less stuff so a big clean out is starting tomorrow!
I so appreciate how balanced you are, Laura! Thank you for this post!
I’m one of those die hard resolution makers, even though each year they are the same or at least variations on the same theme. Gotta stop that. I like your idea of continuing to make baby steps toward a healthier life, Laura. Honestly, I have lots of goals I want to accomplish, but the biggest one for me is to be more Christlike. And yes, continuing to encourage my family to eat more fruits (and that vegetables dont just stop at spinach)
Love this Laura. I do have a focus to start out the year, but I’m with you on letting the Lord direct my steps each day. Whatever my good intentions may be, life moves and changes and I flex with it, so often leaving good intentions along the side of the road. But, the focus I am starting out with is the simple steps toward moving my body, nourishing my body and resting my body. Move. Eat. Sleep. For the last year and a half I’ve spent so much time in the driver’s seat that my walking and swimming just fell away.