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Friday, January 18, 2013

Loving it, come heck or heck water

Pretty much when New Years rolled around I decided it was going to be the year of the 'suck'.  My whole family was really sick, my husband and I didn't even remember it was our anniversary the day before because we were alternating lying on the couch with chills/snot/the works and/or making frequent trips to the restroom.  We put the kids to bed at 8, we went to bed between 9:30 and 10...

And I just kept thinking about why everything was going to suck this year.  About how hard certain aspects of my life are going to be... about how my husband doesn't have a job right now--and it's making things a little tense around here (that may be a teensy understatement)... about how he is still going to school... about our student loans growing... about getting up all night with a newborn... about taking care of two other kids... about not having enough help around the house... about the uncertainty of whether we are going to have to move across the country to find a job... and the list goes on.

Then I remembered something.  It was this talk I heard, called Of Regrets and Resolutions, about what people regret as they approach the end of their lives.

It talks about how people regretted not spending enough time with their loved ones and how people felt like they didn't live up to their potential... these made sense.

And then the last one was:  "I wish I had let myself be happier".

And I wasn't expecting that one... it kind of stopped me.  Maybe it's just the way it's worded, not 'I wish I'd been happier'... but "I wish I had let myself be happier".  That little 'let myself' makes a big difference.

"So often we get caught up in the illusion that there is something just beyond our reach that would bring us happiness: a better family situation, a better financial situation, or the end of a challenging trial.


The older we get, the more we look back and realize that external circumstances don’t really matter or determine our happiness.
We do matter. We determine our happiness.
You and I are ultimately in charge of our own happiness."

I am in charge of my own happiness.  So if I decide it's going to be the suckiest year on record, it will be.  If I decide to get over it and enjoy my life even when things are crazy and hard, I can be happy.

So I've decided, this year is going to be awesome.  It is a blank word doc ready to be filled, and I get to choose how it's filled.

I am determined. Come heck or heck water... (that's how my family says it, I know, we're weird) I'm going to be happy.

I've posted this quote on my fridge.

"Come what may, and love it."

So here's to a HAPPY new year and to loving life.
 
-Red

Believe it or not, this isn't even the Love it story I was going to share... I'll have to get on that later.

5 comments:

  1. Love the title of this post! Teresa has shared that phrase with our family and I've even said it a time or two. Haha!

    This was just what I needed to read this morning. I'm also trying to stop looking for things that will make life easier or happier, and just be happy with my current situation. It's easier said than done, but I'm trying. I love the talk as well. Thanks for sharing it!

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  2. Haha, hey Jenny! Yeah, it's a catchy phrase :) Being happy is way easier said then done sometimes... even when it's stupid little things and not in your face life things. Like the other day when I found my kids bathing all their ponies in the bathroom sink. The entire bathroom was soaked. The big kiddo decided she wanted to wash her clothes with said ponies, her clothes were "drying" on the vent on the floor... in retrospect I should have let myself be happier, but I was super ticked.

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  3. So inspiring! Thanks for sharing. :)

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  4. I love this attitude. It's similar to another favorite of mine: whether you think you can, or whether you think you can't, you will be right.

    For some reason I had this blog bookmarked from ages ago, and randomly strayed back on to it just as you started blogging again. Weird, huh? Hope 2013 will be an amazing year for you.

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  5. Julie--I'm glad you enjoyed :)

    Botanist--That is a great quote. I also like instead of 'I think, therefore I am'... 'I think I am, therefore I am'... so true.

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