~Mark Twain
Hi, again!
I’m back to share with you my New Year’s goal. That’s goaL, singular. :)
Last year I crashed and burned on my list that seemed so reachable during the first week of January, when DC was home and on vacation! It was a great list!
It was just impossible for someone with my life and my abilities. But by golly, I learned from the experience of trying. Shucks.
Around the beginning of last November I noticed something about my appearance that gave me the inspiration for this year’s goaL. It was truly alarming to me. (no, not my weight, although like everyone else in this country, I do plan to do something about that! :)
(this is an old picture – the problem I am facing is even worse now – it shows up without the scowl)
Do you see what I’m talking about?
Here, let me zoom in. . . . .
OY!
Those mad-mom wrinkles are getting WAY too deep. When I noticed that I can see them easily even when I’m not frowning, I realized that it was very likely because I had been becoming a pretty negative-minded person over the past few months.
With the rapidity of a life-flashing-before-your-eyes moment, I could see that I was starting to be more critical in my thoughts, less grateful, quicker to get annoyed, more likely to believe the worst, etc. When I was a teenager or in my 20s that was not a big deal to my face. But now that I am a matronly 34, I am seeing that if I want those sweet smiley crow’s feet I admire on my parents and parents-in-law, I’m going to need to start putting them there!
And thus was my 2012 Goal born:
To have more smiley wrinkles and fewer frowny ones.
I like this goal because it’s a Becoming one, rather than a Doing one. Hopefully I have enough good habits that the most important Doing goals will keep getting done while I focus on Becoming the person I want to be when I’m 80.
Positive thoughts. Grateful ones. Kind and generous ones. Slower to get annoyed and quicker to laugh. More likely to believe the best. That’s where I’m headed this year! Oh, yeah!
So far, I am finding many things to smile about. Most especially, this beautiful event 16 days ago. . . .
Meet one of the newest members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Oh, how I love that sweet boy!
11 comments:
So glad to hear you are alive! :)
A very worthy goal indeed.
I love your goal for this year. Looking forward to hearing more about it. We've been dealing with something tough and it got me thinking that I need to find a way to smile more and frown less. I know my kids need me there with them instead of in my head working on a problem that will be unresolvable without patience.
Thanks for your constant inspiration!
I can hardly believe that Hummer is already old enough to be baptized. I have loved watching your children grow.
I think those smile crows feet are a very admirable goal. :)
Oh, beautiful! We're looking forward to our third child's baptism this year too. And if it makes you feel any better, my frowny-wrinkles have hit the same stage, as have many of my friends', and I don't think we're all mean and negative. (Just pensive or worried, maybe. Welcome to middle age.) But you're right, we all end up with the face we deserve, and I hope to look just like the amazing, kindly, former DC Temple Matron in my ward. :)
congrats! what a marvelous event!!!
p.s. that was about the baptism, not the wrinkles...hehehe!
I love that goal. Thanks for sharing that.
It was nice to be at the baptism.
It was a beautiful evening.
P.S. I like having you back on the blog.
Women are more prone to interpreting text based communication negatively than men. They have to. It's a biological effect of millions of years of not being able to defend yourself if something you thought was good ended up being an enemy. Men don't care, since they can defend themselves.
Maybe the same rules of the animal kingdom apply today or maybe they don't, but interpreting text communication as positive is something women have to work at, while it just comes naturally for men.
I'm just now reading this post for the first time (long story). IMHO, if you want more smile crows feet, you need more smile crows. :)
Oh, and call me every Monday!
You're beautiful. Period. Congratulations on the baptism!! Absolutely wonderful. :O)
Maybe you've just been enjoying your life in the sun! I *know* that's where my wrinkles are coming from ;)
Post a Comment