My 2018 Mantra: Don't Squander Opportunities

Happy New Year!

I love the promise that always swirls with the coming of the new year. All the possibilities stretching out before me. The older I get, the more I wish I had really tended to each year's possibilities and nurtured them fully, not just for the month of January. Thinking about what slipped by the wayside, what became lost in the everyday shuffle of life, makes me sad.

But I have another opportunity. 2018 is rolled out like a red carpet in front of me, and today, here at the starting line, a neon sign is blinking: Don't Squander Opportunities!

Last year my mantra was Persistence. I truly feel like I did persist in many different areas of my life and I feel stronger, more confident. Each time I said, "No," and each time I went with my gut instinct on an issue, the taller I stood, the calmer I became, and the more convinced I felt that the direction my life had veered is the right direction.

This year, my mantra is Don't Squander Opportunities. When I think about the ride along the Pacific coast, one moment of regret raises its head. I had the opportunity to go off route when we neared Coos Bay. If I had, I could have ridden a dune buggy along the Oregon coast. My entire being was screaming, "Go! Have some fun! If you don't do it now, when will you?!?" But I didn't listen, and after arriving to camp that afternoon, after starting out the next morning, I kept thinking about what that dune buggy ride would have been like. I'm not going to let opportunities slip by anymore. 

Which is why I drove over to see my dad and a high school friend last week.

Which is why I started taking boxing classes.

Which is why I went to the trampoline park and jumped for nearly two hours.

Which is why I stood outside last night at 10 pm looking up at the bright moon.

So many opportunities to create happiness. I'm going to do my darndest this year to take each and every opportunity for happiness that comes my way. And who knows, maybe that dune buggy ride will happen sooner or later.

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