I have never been a fan of resolutions and the notion of shedding the thought process and type of person a person is in a day is a hard concept for me to grasp. Change takes time and small steps, so the past few years I have been making a conscious effort to add something to my life that I lacked the year before. Last year I went with adventure! I have always lived fast and usually pretty dirty, and though the kiddos added both to our lives- they certainly weren’t exactly what I had in mind. I started an ambassadorship with Off Road Vixens and that was the perfect fuel I needed to get my family outside more and endure the stress of two toddlers in the boat, ice house, or field. Pair that with the fact that North Dakota summers are picture perfect and fishing year-round is world class, it is hard to stay on the couch.
Life and cancer had different plans, and though I did get many hours outside with my humans, I found many areas of my life that were severely lacking attention. Throughout treatment in 2021 self-care and self-love were implemented to help healing with chemo and radiation. When I was practicing both every day all day, the numbers in my blood reflected how big and great of influence they had. Making love the addition to myself this year was a no-brainer. Self-care looks different to everyone, but to me it is tangible act of loving myself by being authentic to the narrative in my head in order to create the reality I dream of everyday. Some days that is snuggling with my kiddos and nurturing them and my soul the whole day through. Some days it is cleaning my house like a mad woman. Most days it is creating art, getting outside, or moving my body intentionally. The acts of the latter usually result in practicing rest and clean-up. In that order.
In prioritizing loving myself as much as I love Nate and the boys, I have realized I can love everything more and love is the life-blood of my reality. Some people are motivated by money, some power, and the group I fall into- honest connection filled with unconditional love. I have opened my mind and heart to see others as they present themselves not as a preconceived notion. I have always seen the beauty in nature and the world around us, but got hung up on the human element. In expecting people to have less than great intentions or show evil to me, that’s all I saw. We all see what we choose to see and attract what we choose to attract. In looking for the love and good in people, I started seeing an overwhelming amount of magic in everyone. I have empathy on my side giving me the ability to place myself in others’ shoes and find reason within even the most questionable actions. Sometimes the reason is just that they don’t know any better, like much of the decisions I have. I wish I could loan out that empathy to people to help take off the glasses of judgment, but I hold the faith that they will stumble onto the ability if only by being in my proximity. I am in NO way perfect, but spreading love this way has made my world a more beautiful place and really hope everyone is able to come across the same revelation sooner than later.
This year is my year of loving and being loved, and taking the time to do things I love. To have big dreams, and yelling them out loud to manifest them with no regard to being judged or criticized. To take up the space the universe has allotted for my presence and more and to learn more than ever about anything that sings to my soul.
It had better be your year for all of this, too. Start living before the threat of dying forces it upon you.
Until next time,
XOJO