A Faint Rainbow
It goes without saying that it is now 2023. What I am still stunned by is how fast the New Year arrived. I find myself surrounded by change on every front…again, which really challenges me. Being still and quiet, focusing on what is most important is front and center for me these days.
Because I am experiencing a greater need for silence and contemplation, I don’t have anything profound to share. Your experience may be very different from mine and that is okay. We are all living our own story.
One of my daughters gave me a book to read for Christmas, “The Stories We Tell” by Joanna Gaines. I always enjoy a peek into someone else’s journey. In the very first chapter, on page 15, I was captivated by a statement. It reads: “…I believe there is power in asking our body to act on our heart’s behalf.” Those few words have impacted me powerfully.
I am prayerfully asking, what does my heart actually want? How can I make sure my body is able to act on those desires? Because I experienced so many back to back viruses in the transition time from one year to the next I have found myself asking, why?
These questions have left me considering that self care probably needs to move up on my priority list. Am I making demands of my body that make me more vulnerable to illness and less able to “act on behalf of my heart?” Being sick is very limiting!
One thing I have realized is that I struggle with disappointment in some areas of my life that results in an underlying sadness that weighs me down. We all know that mental outlook is intricately connected to wellness. This awareness dawned as I was going through some old photos on my phone in a clean up project. I remembered taking it on a road trip last year. The rainbow was faint, yet very much there. I had to take an extra moment to see it.
Maybe I need to take some extra moments to see the positives, represented by this rainbow, as I navigate the changes in this unfolding year. I intend to pray more, move more, snack less and work on those details we are all familiar with - adding to be more intentional about keeping the positives front and center.
As this New Year sails on, I hope this peak into my thoughts gives you a helpful nugget. I pray that you have had a successful launch into this adventure we are calling 2023. If you have any insights on self care, priorities, etc., I’d love to hear them.