To 2014... and beyond!

If you know me, you know that I am OCD about haiku.

counting syllables
five, then seven, then five more
I can't help myself

What you may not know, is that I'm the same way about acrostics.


Always trying to
Come up with words worth
Reading up, down and
Over
So I can
Tell my feelings about
Ideas in a
Clever way.
See?

It's what I do.  It helps me wrap my mind around an idea. Anyway, I came across some acrostics I wrote several years ago when I was going through a trying time, and they seemed relevant today. So here are some thoughts for the new year, 2014.

Moving forward
Only limited by
My thoughts
Ever changing
Never still
Tireless in my efforts
Unencumbered by
My past

(I thought about changing the last two lines to Until I reach My goal, but that's not how it was written originally, so I didn't)

On Discipline:

Distractions are
Inevitable but
Stay the
Course
It may be
Painful, but in the
Long run
It will pay off
Never fail to meet your
Expectations of yourself.


On Choices:

Choices we make can
Help or hurt
Ourselves and others
It would be wise to
Consider
Every outcome before
Selecting

On Courage:

Carrying
On,
Understanding that
Real bravery means
Always
Going forward
Even when you're afraid

And this one, for my broken hearted single friends,
On Solitude

Spending time
Occasionally in
Lonely
Isolation can be
Therapeutic.
Understanding hurt
Does not come
Easy


Well, there you are, friends.  Here's to a healthy, prosperous new year! Happy 2014!!

Right here, right now

Sometimes I get discouraged. I'm not really sure just exactly what it is I should be doing with my life. Did I choose the right career? Right now I'm not feeling like a great success at work. Should I be climbing some ladder, should I be achieving more? Do I even really care?
I see people all around me doing big things. I have friends pursuing doctoral degrees. I have friends traveling the world. I see them doing these things, these big things, and it stirs up all kinds of emotions in me. I feel happy and excited for them, but I also feel a little bit jealous. I feel jealous because I'd like to do something, too. My problem is I don't know what I want to do. I think it's pretty dumb to not even know what you want. Everything is kind of at a standstill for me right not and sometimes I feel jealous and frustrated and sad.
But then I hold my babies. I hold them and I watch them play and I know without any doubt that I am exactly where I am supposed to be doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing. A good friend of mine told me we should thank God for the seasons of our lives. I've thought about that statement a lot. I've thought about how true and right it is and how grateful I am for the opportunity to raise two little boys when I know so many people who would give anything to experience the very things I complain about.

"Right here, right now, there is no other place I wanna be."
Thank you Jesus Jones, I couldn't have said it better myself.

** Update **

I haven't blogged in a long, long time. With two babies now it's hard to do anything that doesn't involve feeding them or cleaning up after them. But it is a labor of love. I know I'll miss their baby-hood when it's gone.

Here's what is going on with them:

Baby #1 (lil Hercules)

He's now 2 and 1/2. Three in February. Walking, talking, and he has ideas of his own and he likes to communicate them to me. He'll ask me to do things for him, "Mommy fix it, Mommy open it, Mommy say 'one two three go!'". He loves to run, he laughs a lot. He likes to try on all of his clothes and strut in front of the mirror. He loves people, he loves toys, he loves to play. He's so much like his father it's uncanny. He likes to wear hats. His favorite show is Monk. He loves to sing and dance. Every day he amazes me with something new that he's learned.

Baby #2 (the new guy)

He was one month old on Monday. His favorite things to do are kick, stretch, wiggle, and poot. He isn't a fussy baby (much). When he's awake he just likes to look around and take in the world. He seems to be a thinker. The New Guy takes more after me. At least, he looks more like me. When he's just sitting there looking around, I like to think that he's a quiet, contemplative type. But I know that most babies just sit and look around. The New Guy is just now beginning to come to life. I like to think of him as a little flower that is just opening, revealing a little more of himself every day. I can't wait to see what kind of boy he's going to be.

Other than the babies, there isn't anything much going on in my life. There isn't a lot of time right now to pursue my own interests. I could whine about that, but I won't right now. There's no time! Busy hands are happy hands, right? I'm very happy with my role as mother, but in the back of my mind I'm always making plans for when the babies are older, when I have more time... I'll travel. I'll take dance lessons. I'll redecorate the house. There will be time, there will be time...

Right now I have to run. Doody calls! (get it! I said 'doody' instead of 'duty' because the New Guy needs a diaper! I'm so funny :)

Hope everyone is enjoying the Holidays!