A Fresh Start

Welcome to 2019. So, far, I’m not a fan. Two days before the new year I found myself at Urgent care. I rang in the new years on my couch with my feet in hot water trying to combat chills. New year, new me? Not exactly. New year, sick me. New Years day I found myself still sick and not feeling well, but I forced myself out to go eat collard greens and black eyed peas. But why? Why would I do that to myself? Did I want collard greens and black eyed peas? No. I wanted soup. But I wanted to start the year off right. There I was, on New Years, miserably sick, sitting at a busy restaurant waiting to be seated. Waiting for the chance to have the food I was supposed to eat that day, surrounded by people doing the same. I wanted to be in pajamas, with no makeup on, on my couch eating soup. But every year, since I can remember, I’ve always done the same thing, eat collards and black eyed peas (among other things) to start the year off right. As I sat there eating these foods, I got to thinking. What would happen if I didn’t? If I didn’t eat the collards that year, would I make less money? Would I lose my job? What if I doubled the amount? Would I win the lottery? The answer of course is, it has nothing to do with what I eat on the first day of the year. Questioning this however, did make me think. What in our lives are we doing, because we feel like we should, not because we have to. What in our lives are we doing because someone, at some point told us we had to? Not because it’s whats best for us. Soup, thats what would’ve been best for me that day. And sleep. But I didn’t want to sleep, because I didn’t want to “Sleep the year away.” How silly is that? My body needed sleep, I was sick. So my new years resolution this year is to think about the things I was doing in my life. Are there things I am doing because society has told me I have to or things that I do out of obligation? Maybe it’s something as simple as not wearing black with brown or wearing white after labor day (both of which I shamelessly do). But why can’t we? Who cares? Maybe it’s even traditions that you do with your family that has turned into more work than instead of being fun. This year, my new years resolution is not to lose weight or make more money or anything like that. This year, I want to think about all the things I do, question why I am doing them and challenge myself. I want this year to be about keeping myself healthy, happy and honoring God. I don’t want to do things just because I’m “supposed to.” I challenge you to look at your life. Are you exhausted? It’s okay. It’s okay to not do things. It’s okay that your family doesn’t do things that others do. Maybe your neighbor throws amazing New Years parties. It’s okay that you don’t. You don’t have to. Maybe your neighbor is an fitness buff who is in awesome shape and loves going to the gym. It’s okay if you don’t. It’s okay if you skip some family parties and don’t come to every single event your children’s school holds. Rest. We are in a time when we are so busy. Over the years of working with families, the most common issue I hear is not enough time and being so tired and exhausted. We do so many things. Why? Are their things in your life you do out of obligation? It’s okay to say no to things. I have people in my life who have to remind me to rest. Stop working on my kids curriculum, stop thinking about work, stop running after Alfred and rest. It’s biblical. Even God rested. My new years resolution: rest. Next New Years, I’ll have the soup.