Season to be Grateful

People, places, things...and TIME to see them all...

When I was young, all I wanted was for time to hurry up and pass, because I had bigger plans. Oh the things I could do… "If I were older, I could… [fill in the blank].”

For me, my desires ran the entire gamut. I could do whatever I wanted without having to ask anyone. I could drive. I could finally stop having to go to school. I could drink. I could move out of freezing cold Montana to somewhere it doesn’t snow. I could find a job I loved. I could travel. I could have a fulfilled life with amazing people I could do fun stuff with. Tick, tock…

Now, I don’t actually know where time goes. It seems to move at warp speed, and the next thing I know…I missed it. What the heck happened?! Life gets…well…BUSY. Blindingly busy sometimes, in fact. But as I sit here thinking about all this, I’m also realizing I’ve accomplished almost ALL of the things I saw myself doing when I was young! (Except I never became a surgeon… I’ll just have to let that one go.) What a revelation!! Pretty much NONE of those things happened exactly as planned, and others were accomplished in round-about, and sometimes very complicated ways. But…huh… I actually did them! And for that, I’m grateful. And I’m realizing I need to be grateful for a whole heck of a lot of things!

In celebration of the Christmas season (or Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever you’re celebrating), I want to take a moment to be grateful for all those people in my life who have made a difference for ME and how I view my little world. And I say “little” because I can say with certainty that this world really isn’t as HUGE as I thought it was when I was a kid. It’s much smaller, and there are so many wonderful things around corners everywhere. And even better…I have met some tremendous people. It’s all about the people.

I have been to spectacular places! But I have to tell you it was the PEOPLE I traveled with, OR the people I met in those places that made the trips most memorable. For instance, Egypt was larger than life when I was a kid. It was cooler than unicorns. Fast forward… I went to Egypt. Egypt was every bit as epic as I imagined! But what made the experience as amazing as it was…were my guides (and now friends), Carter and Nesrine. Sharing the experience with them, along with getting to know them, made the whole thing WAY better than just seeing the sights! Unicorns have NOTHING on Egypt. That’s just one example! I could go on and on….but I won’t. At least not for this.

I’ve had my share of garbage. Haven’t we all? But you know what? I’m alive and well! It’s time to TAKE OUT THE TRASH here at the end of 2024. Spring cleaning for the soul is realizing things are good! Because I have the ability to make things good! Who says I can’t manhandle my own happiness?! (Or womanhandle in my case.) I’m ready for action! Whatever it is…it’s going to be awesome! Because I’m going to make sure of it. We just had the shortest day of the year. Now, we get to look forward to lighter and brighter days! Cheers to that! Tick, tock…

I’m not going to promise I won’t sometimes wish for time to hurry up. Time heals wounds, right? But my goal for 2025 is to slow things down and enjoy the experience. Enjoy the process. Enjoy the people I know and look forward to seeing again. Enjoy meeting new people who will become “my people”. I have the coolest family - including a few extended family members I got to keep in the divorce. I have the most incredible friends, clients I get to make this world a better place with, and priceless memories I never have to give back. And for ALL of it…I am truly grateful.

May this find you loving life, living it up with great people…and appreciating the one gift we have that makes all this possible: TIME. Tick, tock…