The Best Fortune Cookie Ever!
Just a few more days of 2024! Today I was at the grocery store and the checkout boy asked me if I had any New Years Resolutions, and I honestly haven't given it any thought. And I said, "Just to keep going". Which sounds about right. I feel like I am and have always been on my own path of self improvement, and special dates never really dictate that. It has been quite a year of growth for so many of us, and growth comes with the necessary growing pains, which I have come to expect. So as I move into 2025, I literally just want to keep going. Keep living, being present, enjoying life, being grateful, learning new things, and healing old wounds.
We shouldn't lay too many expectations on ourselves. Flowing with the changes of life and maintaining our balance is a pretty massive and impressive undertaking I believe. And so many of us have been doing that continuously. Recently, I have been looking back upon my old journals and I found an entry from almost 20 years ago where I wrote, "I just opened up a fortune cookie with the best fortune I’ve ever read, and I will never have to look at another one as long as I live." It said, "You Have The Power To Write Your Own Fortune". Wow.
It’s all up to you…
Read that statement again... "You Have The Power To Write Your Own Fortune"
Is that empowering or what? And as I continued to reflect on my last 20 years, I find no truer statement than that. I proved it time and again. For better, and for worse. I also said 20 years ago, that my dream would be to teach Yoga and Pilates and be able to "work out" for a living. Nice! Check, and check.
We all have the power to declare what we want for our lives, and allow it to manifest. There is so much power in our thoughts and declarations. This is why we also must take care, not to speak aloud or give too much thought and energy into what we do not want to have happen in our lives. I can also look back and see where my needless worries and obsessive thoughts created problems that I didn't want to have happen in my life. Lessons learned.
Our thoughts dictate so much in our lives. When we are grateful for all that we have and what we experience, we feel pleasant, content, and happy or at peace. When we spend our time dwelling on what we fear, worry about what may happen, or feel guilt over our past "failures", life doesn't feel so good. Everyone knows this, but this truly is a practice to cultivate. Being aware of our thoughts and refocusing them, and/or clearing our mind is the most valuable "resolution" we can make. Meditation is the greatest tool for this I have found.
We all have hard times and we all have good times. Nobody escapes the dark versus the light of this world. The question is, where do we wish to reside?
Lake Como, Italy September 2024
I leave you with this for 2025...
Just Be. Let yourself be. You have nothing to prove. You are enough just as you are. There is love and light all around. Focus on that as often as you can. Don't paddle upstream to avoid change, because something wonderful awaits you when you flow with life.
Get to know the one who observes your thoughts, that is the real you. That is where peace, serenity, and your true voice resides.
Your body is your vehicle, take care and maintain it to the best of your ability, and it will carry you as long as possible.
Thank you to everyone who supports me and Healthy To The Soul!
I appreciate you all so much. And thank you for reading my words each week...
Remember - It's okay to not know what lies ahead! That is part of the fun in the journey...