On January 1, 2014 I posted several pictures to my personal Facebook page that were my New Year “resolutions” of sorts. Truth be told, I am not a resolution maker. I believe if you want to achieve your goals and live your dreams you must embrace a lifestyle that ensures your success. It’s an inside job that requires commitment. Every. Darn. Day. There is no faking it. But, I do believe the coming of a new year can be a great motivator as a “DAY 1” of making the changes you want to see in your life. It’s also a great time to pat yourself on the back for ongoing successes in areas like parenting, careers, etc. To say to yourself, “Hey, you got that right, keep up the good work.”
As I looked back on the pictures I posted that day, I found the ones I included at the bottom of this blog entry. They are my favorites. They sum up my 2014. My joys. My successes. My failures. My hardships. And all the people and things that somehow managed to keep me going through all of it.
My children. My H-Crew. The loves of my life. The reasons my heart beats. My true joy. My heart in four equal parts. Without them all the other pictures here make no sense.
Bravery. I battled many demons this year all surrounding the 20th anniversary of my mother’s passing and the fact that I turned the age she was when she died. It wasn’t easy. At times it was downright awful. It was painful. And scary. But I did it. I showed myself that this is my life and my story. And I will bravely continue to write each page … on my own, with hope, as I know my mother would want.
Hope. I brought my blog off Facebook, renamed it and I have utterly enjoyed this new journey. Living in LaLa Land and Living and Running in LaLa Land have become my life’s testimony. To encourage others (AND MYSELF) to always find hope in each new day, even if we don’t want to or feel we can. It IS possible. And when you (AND I) realize this, life instantly becomes a happier place.
Slow down and enjoy life … at every opportunity I was given. No regrets. My life is a gift. Every breath I take. Every experience, good or bad, precious. Time spent with the ones I love proved, as always, to be the only real thing that matters. I’m thankful I learned this, although painfully too young, because it has made for a good life. Despite the pain and difficulty, I won’t ever let one moment pass without a heart full of gratitude.
P. R. Despite every physical and emotional setback I faced this year, I somehow managed to run a personal best in every race level I ran. 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon. I far exceeded my own expectations by placing 2nd in my age division at the 5K. All of this completely humbling to me because I didn’t do any of it on my own. Love achieved all of this … and I am forever grateful for those who stood by me. My family and friends who believed in me even when I no longer believed in myself. The cheerleaders in my life who kept cheering me on when my joy for running turned to an daunting task. They believed I could make the comeback … and I am so very thankful that they did.
Quality versus quantity. I chose quality in all that I did. Quality time spent with people. Quality experiences. Quality conversations. Quality relationships. Quality in my training. Quality in the races I chose. Quality in my performance in whatever roll I found myself in. I took nothing for granted. Moments mattered even more. Life quality perfected … as it always should be.
So there you have it, my 2014 in a nutshell. Thank you all for sharing it with me❤️
Well, I hope that 2015 brings you all a multitude of joy and success in everything that you do!!!
