Live Consciously

For the holidays I picked up a pile-o-books from the library to read, determined that I would have time to actually crack them open. One of the books was The New Years Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini. It's the 11th book in the Elm Creek Quilts series and they're fabulous. The book had a thought that stuck with me. The woman in the book would consider each New Years a chance to start over. A clean slate. Time to right wrongs, time to take a chance. The idea of the clean slate appeals to me. I tend to dwell on my mistakes too much. In the story the lady was making a quilt called New Years Reflections. I liked this idea of reflecting on the last year, seeing where life took you and learning from your choices. Consciously choosing to make different choices.

In reflecting on my past year or years for that matter, I realized I feel like I've been living with my head stuck down a rabbit hole. Letting life go on around me and just flowing along. Not contributing much or as much as I want to. Being lazy or unconnected when I could have tried harder, done more, gone farther. Like I heard Will Smith say once 'If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.' That idea has stuck with me as well.

I decided that this is the year to Live Consciously. I don't really know how to explain that thought. The dictionary defines Conscious as: 'perceiving, apprehending, or noticing with a degree of controlled thought or observation.'

I will not let things just happen around me. I want to be more involved. In regular things. I want to lead by example. I want to be more engaged, less like a hermit. Because, as Trisha can tell you, I've embraced hermitism as my motto for life. It's comfortable, safe, non-intrusive. Not this year. Plus I have it stuck in my head that I must start the New Year off right. Today I must do things I want to carry through into the New Year. Like cleaning when I'm too lazy. Cooking my own food alot instead of letting my fabulous cook of a husband take care of me. Doing the things I think of doing but choose not to do. Making a choice to play more with my kids. Reading more. Smiling more. Answering emails instead of letting them rot. Being conscious of what goes on around me, seeing when someone needs a friend. Stuff like that.

May the New Year bring new truths to your life, may it inspire you to be the best person you can be, love those around you like its your last time to love them. Live Consciously.