By CHARLENE PAUL
The Progress
As I reflected over the past 365 days of 2021, it seems impossible that they passed so quickly. So quickly! After the chaos that was 2020, I had so many plans for 2021, and I set about writing New Year’s resolutions to my feet firmly planted and my mind keenly focused.
I wish I could report that I accomplished each of those resolutions made on that first day of 2021 – that I’m in tip-top shape, that I scanned all of my photos and papers, that I published my first book, that I am in control of my emotions, that I no longer procrastinate, that I sleep eight hours every night, that my laundry is under control, and that I check everything off my to-do list every day. But the truth is, I am still a work in progress.
In the past, that would have affected me in one of two ways: 1) I would have been a mess of depression, or 2) I would have made a list of resolutions that was twice as long as last year’s.
But New Year 2022 was different. I didn’t beat myself up because of my inability to get everything done. It was a year of ups and downs, challenges and cheers, joys and sorrows. I know. What an understatement.
Being the mother of adult children and in-law children has taught me lessons in dealing with trials I have no control over. Watching our kids go through their challenges kept me on my knees in fervent prayer. But, unfortunately, that wasn’t on my list.
Spending time in conversation with a newly-widowed friend wasn’t on my list. Talking to friends and neighbors about everything under the sun also didn’t make my list. Taking time to watch a sunset and enjoy the all-too-infrequent rain wasn’t on my list. Spending time with grandchildren wasn’t on my list. Daydreaming and scheming, crocheting and crafting weren’t on my list.
My husband’s job as a middle school principal was stressful last year. Sometimes when he got home, he wanted to walk and talk. That wasn’t on my list.
No matter what my New Year’s Resolutions were, life happened. And that had to be okay. Don’t get me wrong, resolutions are good, and to-do lists keep me centered. But somewhere in those resolutions and lists, I need empty spaces for wiggle room when life happens.
Life is precious and unpredictable, and I don’t want to miss any more of it than I already have. On my last day on earth, I hope to look back over my lists of resolutions and find I have made a difference in the lives of those I came in contact with. I want those I love to know that they are more important than anything on a to-do list.
So, here’s to empty spaces in 2022.
Charlene Paul and her husband Ken raised their family in Moapa Valley. She loves reading, writing, baking, crochet, and talking. She is the owner of Look on the WRITE Side, a freelance writing and proofreading company.
