I don’t have a green thumb. But this last April I got a little flower plant for my birthday. It was a big birthday for me this year and I really wanted to keep this adorable little flower plant around as long as I could. So I re-potted it and kept watering it.
As the weeks and months went on I would often forget about watering it or pulling out the dead leaves. There were times it looked like it was surely done for. But when I remembered to try watering it again or move it around to get more sun, the leaves kept perking up.
It may be fall now, and I thought my little plant was all done blooming. But the other day a few new flower buds popped up.
I look at that plant and think about this year and how I’ve gone through plenty of dry spells. You know, times where I’m just feeling like a failure or feeling incredibly spent as a parent. But this year has also seen many moments where I’ve flourished and life lessons were learned and great memories were made.
It might be fall and the year is winding down (besides the major holidays approaching) and sometimes it can be disappointing to remember all the New Year’s Resolutions I didn’t follow through with. But I think about my little flower blooming now and I realize I don’t have to wait for the new year to start something new or make another goal. I can just do it now.
I don’t know about you, but I had a few New Year’s Resolutions and for a while I felt excited about them and made some headway. However, when Spring and Summer hit it’s like nothing else mattered. The only thing that mattered was making the most of the warmer weather months.
Now it’s fall and I’ve totally forgotten about my New Year’s Goals.
…
But it’s NOT too late!
Something about the fall season is actually a great time for new beginnings. It can make the seasonal change a little more exciting. So rather than dreading winter blues I’m going to focus the next several weeks on finishing things I started this year. Wouldn’t it be great to say by Jan 1st I finished x,y,z thing that I started this year!
Maybe this is my tendency to procrastinate…and I’m actually okay with that. Sometimes I work well under pressure.
So, instead of thinking and planning for a new set of New Year’s Goals or feeling down about what I didn’t finish I am going to focus on what I can realistically accomplish BEFORE the new year and spend this fall season giving that 100%.
The year is not over yet. Forget the goals you had and failed to complete. Nobody cares about that except for you. Your kids certainly won’t be worrying about whether or not mom checked off her resolutions for the year. What they will see and notice is what you are doing now.
If we’re honest, fall can be a very depressing time of year. There’s less sun, more cold, and LOTS of Holidays. It can be quite stressful and daunting and then when the New Year comes we just want to put all that behind us and start over.
Why wait for that? Why not right now? I don’t want to spend the next weeks before 2020 hits stressed and depressed. I want to make the most of it and there’s no reason I need to wait for a new year to start something or set out to accomplish some new goals. I can do that right now.
So take some time as we watch the leaves change to see what this year has in store for you. Set maybe one new goal, or a few smaller ones that you can do from now until January. Finish with a bang and enjoy the passing of time and seasons with confidence that you are making it count. Put the past behind you and don’t worry about the future. Live in the present and give your now everything you’ve got. Like my little flower plant, maybe you just need a little water so you can bloom right now.
