As You Travel Through Life

What a truly amazing poem for the New Year.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  Hats off to the author.

As you travel through life there are always those times

When decisions just have to be made,

When the choices are hard, and solutions seem scarce,

And the rain seems to soak your parade.

There are some situations where all you can do

Is simply let go and move on,

Gather your courage and choose a direction

That carries you toward a new dawn.

So pack up your troubles and take a step forward -
The process of change can be tough,
But think about all the excitement ahead
There might be adventures you never imagined
Just waiting around the next bend,
And wishes and dreams just about to come true
In ways you can't yet comprehend!

Perhaps you'll find friendships
That spring from new things
As you challenge your status quo,
And learn there are so many options in life.
Perhaps you'll go places you never expected
And see things that you've never seen,
Or travel to fabulous, faraway worlds
And wonderful spots in between!
Perhaps you'll find warmth and affection and caring
And somebody special who's there
To help you stay cantered and listen with interest
To stories and feelings you share.

Perhaps you'll find comfort in knowing your friends
Are supportive of all that you do,
And believe that whatever decisions you make,
They'll be the right choices for you.
So keep putting one foot in front of the other,
And taking your life day by day...
There's a brighter tomorrow that's just down the road -
Don't look back!
You're not going that way!

-Unknown-

As the New Year quickly approaches, I find myself thinking about events of the past year and focusing on my hopes for the future.  I remember making resolutions concerning every aspect of my life at one point, but  I gave up resolutions a long time ago because I was only setting myself up for failure. I actually have a notebook filled with resolutions, and amazingly, it was the same ones year after year. I wasn't going to stop smoking until I was good and ready to stop.  Writing  it down wasn't going to make me want to quit. So, with this in mind,  why was I putting myself through the torture of making a resolution when I knew deep down that I wasn't going to  go through with what I said I would do?   A resolution is a determined decision that requires discipline to carry out.  

A New Year is looked upon as a fresh new start.  It is a chance to correct many of the things that went wrong in the previous twelve months.  So, instead of making those same ill-fated resolutions each year,  I take a look at all I need to improve in my life and work on fixing that. I do know that I have to lose weight, but it is not a resolution that will make me do so.  It is a desire to do the things I used to do, the things I still want to do, and hope to do again without having to stop and catch my breath.   Change is part of the new year and making personal changes almost seems easier and more logical. The last thing I need though is a resolution that will instill guilt once I break it.

A fabulous New Year awaits us...and it is just down the road.