The Day After Christmas/No New Years Resolutions

Things change in a blink of an eye. Moving from season to season can be rough!

I just took a very cold walk down to the bank. Yes, it is the day after Christmas, it's -4 F outside with a  wind chill of -22 F. Definitely not my first choice for walking weather but it was actually pretty invigorating and enlightening. 

I'm not all that fond of cold weather or Winter in general mainly because I worry about my kids traveling on it all the time, even just walking on it. Yeah, I know, OMS (Overprotective Mom Syndrome). Okay, that may or may not have been something that I just made up.  I have fallen on ice many times, one ending up in surgery, ice terrifies me. What I realized by going for that little walk was that even though I desperately didn't want to go out there, let alone go for a walk, I have made it through so many worse things in my life. A cold walk down the street, only a couple blocks, didn't hurt me and all of the things that have happened in my life, good or bad, haven't really hurt me either. I survived even when I didn't think I would. I am stronger than I often think I am.

That's right, it is a little deep conversation for the day after Christmas. I realize a brisk walk a couple of blocks down the road is no big deal, but to me it is. For myself, I spend a lot of time NOT doing things because I am afraid of failure or getting hurt. But when I have failed or gotten hurt, I have always gotten back up, dusted myself off, and moved forward. You can't truly fail unless you give up. From every hurt, loss, or retry comes learning and being a forever learner is not a bad thing.

You are right, I am 47 and should have learned this a long long time ago and maybe I did. Unfortunately, as life goes on, we forget that there is always a time when we can retrain our minds and start over. We may not achieve everything we want and that is okay. Giving up your dreams, goals, and will to try is not okay. 

New Year Resolution time is coming up. I usually don't make resolutions for the new year because this is something that we shouldn't wait for the new year to do. If you want to make changes in your life or, like me, just remind yourself that you are still alive and you have the power to change anything in your life anytime, do it now! I'm not waiting anymore. Yes, I believe in caution and staying safe. More than that, I believe in being myself and not limiting myself based on fear of the unknown or what time of year it is.

Lesson Learned From An Eleven Year Old

My son came into my bedroom saying that he had a bad dream and wanted to sleep with me. He cuddled up to my arm in the bed. After about 20 mins of the stuffy nose, I asked him if he was feeling ok and why his nose was stuffed up. "I don't know"' he said. Five more minutes passed and he was still pretty stuffed up so I asked what his bad dream was about. At first, he didn't want to tell me. Then, he let it spill out with tears flowing.

He said, "I was dreaming we were at the beach and I found a toy Gatlin gun and there was a strange person there. This person told me that there was a house for rent that was close to his friends for only $200 a month. So we packed up our stuff and left the house we are in but when we got to the new one it was $2 Million instead. So we were homeless and it was all my fault."

I have the sweetest little boy in the world. I comforted him and told him that neither I or his father would ever let us be in that situation. I also told him that by no means are any of the bills or tough times his fault. Apparently, I should not discuss the budget out loud around him anymore because he worries about it more than he should and more than I realized.

After letting it all out, reassurances that we would not be homeless and that it was only a bad dream, and cuddling with me for a while, he fell asleep.

No, things are not that bad financially but kids pick up on things and what we look on as a minor hardship, they can see as catastrophic. When mom and/or dad get upset, even at each other, in front of the children, the child may perceive it to be their fault. Of course, it isn't their fault, but parents, I include myself in this, should never forget to explain that it is by no means the fault of the children when things get tight or don't go as we planned.

Lesson learned!