We've all done it - made a New Year's resolution to go to the gym every day, or stop drinking coke, or call our moms more... and then, we failed... Tragically. But the lucky ones make it to February. (They're considered survivors.)
I've done it, too. Tried to rearrange my life and organize my chaos under the impression somehow I am reincarnated each year and would have the willpower of... someone with a lot of willpower. My resolutions were always far too time consuming, and, frankly, provided little reward. As December of 2015 rolled around, I researched and asked and googled and googled more all of the resolutions I could find that seemed plausible.
I decided in 2016 I would write down everything making me happy, stick it in a jar (I used an old saltine cracker tin), and then open the jar in 365 days on NYE and relive all my best memories from that year. Not necessarily everything and not necessarily every day, but just things I wanted to remember. I wanted to remember the good. Eventually, I was finding something to be thankful for every single day!
On April 27, I was thankful for laughing. To be honest, I don't even remember that night exactly because I laughed a few more times later in the year, as you can imagine, and they all blurred together. But on that day, something made me laugh enough to want to write it on a little sticky note and hide it away in my cracker tin.
Did you know the night of the shooting at PULSE in Orlando, West TX had the most beautiful sunset? Life - and this specific resolution - is not about forgetting the bad. It's not about ignoring the painful, indelible tragedies. It is not about forgetting that plane crash, or shooting, or death, especially when it’s personal. It's about that time you accidentally fell into a cactus when you were hiking, and it turned out to be one of the best days. It’s about the adventures and the car rides you’ll never forget and the small moments when we remember how "beautiful it is to even exist".
Not only do I *highly* recommend this resolution to each and every one of you, but I think it is a great idea to start right NOW. Regardless of the day or year or occasion, this is something you can start today.
So, I urge you: Focus on the sunsets.
Focus on the times you laughed so hard, you could cry. Remember the pain, but focus on the joy. (And write it down!!!!!)
It is a beautiful life. This is a beautiful life.
How simply grand it is we all get to do this thing together. Happy New Year, friends.
