Ease Up on That Gas Pedal

Sometimes life seems to rush past us faster than we can believe. Often, it is our own doing. We speed through our days, barely paying attention to the food that we are or aren't putting in our bodies. Our foot is heavy on the gas pedal of life and before we know it, we are barely noticing our surroundings. We speed along until something forces us to stop. That has been my life since joining TNT and having that amazing experience in Vancouver. While I wouldn't trade it for anything, I was so busy I couldn't think. The last 8 months since the marathon has been one thing going wrong after another. From major car issues and my health issues, to PPD and loved ones having health scares, bad things just keep happening. This last month has been the icing on the cake. In the midst of a very busy fall, cold snap and major winter storm, little man A developed croup so badly that in two days, we took him to the ER three different times (one at 3 am!). If that wasn't bad enough, both E and I both caught whatever virus A had. I put everything on hold for almost a week while we dealt with the worst of it. I think life was trying to tell me something. I think life has been trying to tell me something for awhile. I've just been so pig headed (thank you to my Aries traits) that I needed more than a gentle reminder. I needed a great big roadblock that forced me to stop. 

Today is the winter solstice. The shortest day of the year. A day for introspection when we think back on the previous year and think ahead to what may come. A day that reminds us that even on the darkest days, there is hope that things will get brighter. Most people see January 1st as the start of the new year, but I disagree. For me, the new year starts after the winter solstice. After today, days start to get longer and brighter. We are reminded that though it is the middle of winter, soon nature will be blossoming with life again. So, with all of the introspection I have done today and the past few days, I am making a vow. A vow to let go of all of the negativity of the past year. A vow to make 2014 the best year I can, no matter what happens. Bad things might happen next year, and probably will, but what matters is not what happens but how we deal with it. I vow to listen to what my body and soul need so that I can just roll with whatever life puts on my path this new year. I need to learn to slow down when my body and soul need it, and to make my own well-being a priority. With baby #3 on the way, it's even more important for my family and myself that I learn to take care of myself. So, 2013 thank you for the lessons you taught me. From the wonderful feelings of good deeds and hard work I felt from working with TNT, to the hard lessons of PPD this summer, to remembering to slow down at times, I cherish all of them. I am taking them to heart this winter solstice and going into the next year brimming with positivity and hope. 2014, let's do this!