Wishing You

Nanea Hoffman – Sweatpants & Coffee.com

I feel so attuned to this lady. She expresses what I want to say so well, and I love her illustrations.

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Instead of health, wealth, and success – which I also wish you –

I want to emphasize your reaction to the world around you. Your personal world of your family or other loved ones, plus your neighborhood, city, state, and country. Your reaction to what’s happening in the country in which you live, plus all that is happening around the world.

I say this because we are in charge of so little. So little that we can control. All we can really do is reach inside and work on how we are reacting to all the changes around us, the uncertainty, the concern, and more.

The only New Year’s Resolution I’m making is to continue to try to live in the moment. We are all in different stages of life. Once you have done what you personally can do to protect the ones you love, your possessions, etc., I hope that you can give yourself permission to let it go. Worrying over things you can’t control just bunches you up inside and makes you tense, irritable, nervous, and stressed out. Does it do anything else? NO.

I’m concentrating on finding joy. Delight in the little things around me, like a new bird song as we enter the gym. Something intriguing I see on the treadmill video that I missed the first time. A new singer on YouTube who sings their heart out and receives a standing ovation from the crowd of appreciative listeners. White flowers blooming in the middle of a planter full of pink blooms. A cold chocolate drink – with maybe a cookie given to me by the nice server with a smile. The inquiry from an office worker about how my husband is. A sketch that turns out better than I had hoped, or one that is hugely fun to paint. Making real progress on a jigsaw puzzle. Diving into a new book on my Kindle. Finding an article on Substack that brings me to tears it is so beautiful.

If you change your focus, you change your life. Focusing on the good things calms you inside. Smiling at people brings a smile in return. This is something that will improve your health. Positive focus is a survival skill – a habit that will bring so much joy you won’t know where to put it all…