Happy New Year! I cannot believe it is 2020. What a cool number. This number makes me hope that the year 2020 will be unforgettable and exciting. Also, how has 20 years gone by since we were ringing in 2000? It seems like yesterday we were worried about Y2K and the whole world crashing down. Now we are runned by Google, Amazon, and Apple. I am siting in my living room on my MacBook blogging- things have changed a bit in 20 years.
It is amazing to me how fast time really does fly. Everyone used to always tell me to cherish every moment when my kids were small because they grow up so fast. I was like, yeah right, will they ever sleep through the night? Wipe their own butts? Stop teething? Stop needing my attention every waking hour? Well, now I have a 15 year old and almost 12 year old and while it does not get any easier being a parent, time has definitely flown by. Sometimes I wish it would just slow down.
So 2020 is now here and I have to pause and think, how will I slow down this year so that I can cherish my last three years with my son before he turns 18? Or enjoy the moments with my daughter before she goes onto high school? How do I find time to enjoy the things I want out of life, do things for me? With the daily demands of every day life, it can be hard to slow down and really pause to take in the moments during the year that are the most meaningful. The moments that become memories which will carry on for years so that when it is 2030, I can look back and think – Wow, 2020 was a great year! And to be frank, every year will have its ups and downs, triumphs and struggles, highs and lows, but still – how will I cherish 2020?
On New Years Eve, my friend asked me what were my resolutions for 2020? I said more sleep, more yoga… and now I am adding in – more salads. I have had a few days to think about this and I definitely need more vegetables in my life. I have been known to buy all the vegetables, let them all go bad before I can use them, so we end up eating a pizza. Just keeping it real.
Now it may seem selfish to say more sleep, yoga, and salads. Those three things are for me – not for anyone else. Not for my husband, kids, job, friends, loved ones – all for me. That does not mean that 2020 is all about me. But it does mean that in 2020 I want to make myself a priority so that I can be a better wife, mother, teacher, friend, daughter, sister, aunt – you get the point. If I don’t get enough sleep – I am grumpy. If I don’t practice yoga – I am cranky, impatient, and all out of whack (body and mind). If I don’t start eating some salads – I am being wasteful, lazy, and gaining weight by the day (can I get an Amen from my 40 something year old friends out there?). Basically, when I don’t take care of me – I cannot give, serve, or take care of others. If I want 2020 to be memorable, then I need to take time to make it memorable. Starting with taking care of myself.
Yesterday, I ran into a coworker at school (yes, I had to go back for an optional teacher workday and it was not as bad as it sounds to all my teacher friends out there). After wishing each other a Happy New Year and all that – we began talking about lesson plans and Reader’s Workshop. She was feeling a little overwhelmed. I simply gave her some encouraging words and listened. I told her that she was doing the right thing for her students despite how challenging something new can be. I did not think another thing about our interaction until I got an email from her this morning. She thanked me for taking time out of my planning to listen to her and encourage her. Our 5 minute conversation really made a difference in her day and at the time, I had no idea how much. It made me think. In 2020, how many times can I have interactions with coworkers, family, friends, strangers, students, parents – really anyone – where I can make a difference in their day? If I can take care of my self then I can give more and serve more. I can make 2020 a fantastic year by taking time and making time to slow down, take care of myself, and be a positive light to those around me.
Yesterday in yoga, while at the beginning of shavasana (which is corpse pose at the end where you let everything go while lying there meditating – it is the best pose of the class btw), the teacher asked us to breathe in and then let all of the negative words in our minds and bodies leave from our neck. It was just what I needed. We all have negative thoughts, self talk, anxieties, challenges. Where do we feel those when we start to get emotional? For me in my neck, right at my throat – sometimes it feels like it could just close up. So I let it all go. It was very freeing. Now that doesn’t mean those negativites will never come back – but at least I know I can let them go and not hold onto them. So in 2020, I am also going to choose to let things go – to breathe them out from that place in my throat that wants to close up. To sleep more, do more yoga, eat more salads (I just printed 3 recipes for salads from Pinterest – go me).
Salad Recipes from Keto Diet Rule
- Keto Big Mac Salad Recipe
- Grilled Chicken Avocado Salad
- BLT Balsamic Chicken Avocado & Feta Salad
*** I am not on Keto, but these three salads spoke to me and there are more salads on this site to choose from depending on your preference.
So what are your New Year’s Resolutions for 2020? Anything amazing you plan to do? Changes you plan to make? How will you take time and make time to ensure that 2020 will be an unforgettable year? I encourage you to let the negativity go, make time for yourself, and take time to cherish this year. We only get one 2020 and this is our time to make it unforgettable.
Happy New Year!
Faithfully Real ~ Stephanie
Faithfully Real 
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