Ok, Ok .. so I know that I’ve been a bit distant. This past year has been filled with obligations. Things from spending time with family and friends to being present at important functions in the lives of the people who fills my heart and forms my community. Most of the time the obligations are fun and fulfilling and I definitely want to be there. At the same time, I find myself resisting trying to meet these obligations. I started feeling exhausted, longing for nothing so much as a quiet evening at home. Of course, along with this want for myself .. comes the feeling of guilt for not meeting the expectations of others.
There’s a skill to balancing our obligations and it starts with simply becoming aware of our schedule and ourselves. My battle was really being able to listen to what my body and heart knew it was capable of fulfilling. The events in my life that occurred this past year were life changing. From the diagnosis of my illnesses to a change in my work environment; from moving out of my home into the arms of my family to watching my goddaughter grow up. Every piece of the past year changed me forever.
I learned the following: meeting our obligations to others is an important part of being human and not one to take lightly. At the same time, we cannot meet every obligation without neglecting our primary duty to take care of ourselves. We can navigate this quandary by being conscious of what we choose to do and not do and also by finding concrete ways to extend our caring when we are not able to be there in person.
Here are a couple of snapshots of my past year. To those that impacted me in every way possible, thank you for the love, thank you for the hard lessons, thank you for your understanding and thank you for playing such an important role in my life at that time.
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LIVING YOUR FULLEST LIFE 