Hello, Chapter 2019

Like most everyone else on social media, I'm ruminating about the past year, and I'm looking toward the next one.
Funny how the two are technically separated by a mere second, isn't it? But that's just how we measure time. 

I was just talking to one of my dear brothers today about what it takes to create a good life.

Often we make grand plans for the future, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that.
I'm a fan of dreaming big, as in not limiting ourselves. I'm of the opinion that, being created in the image of God, we are designed to forever be growing and changing and becoming more than we ever thought we could.

But grand plans alone won't cut it. The secret to building a good life, we concluded, is to make the most of each day. Every single one of them.

Make the best of every second, every minute, every hour, every day. These are the building blocks of our years. This is the code by which we write the program that is our life.  These are the words with which we write our very own story.

I enjoy making plans and setting goals.  I like brainstorming and hatching new dreams and schemes.

Too often, that's as far as my big ideas go. 

But we all know it takes more than that to bring goals to fruition.  It takes the intentional use of our minutes, hours and days to build the bridge between dreams imagined and missions accomplished.

Here's an example: Gardens don't grow by studying seed catalogs.

They grow and produce after we study the seed catalog, place an order, and carefully plan where we will plant the seeds. Then we water, weed, and nurture them in the best way we know how.

If the weather cooperates and the good Lord grants us favor, we will be blessed with a harvest.

Likewise, if we want to lose weight, we practice restraint one meal at a time. We choose to be careful about what foods we bring into the house, to make our choices easier. 

We work a little more physical activity into each day.  

(Phhttt!! That's easier said than done!  I've gained five pounds in the last two weeks!)

The same approach could be applied to smoking or drinking...cut back a little each day.

Replace with something positive. I've read that's a better way to break bad habits...by replacing them with something better.

But having a good life is about much more than conquering bad habits.

It's a walk. It's a journey. It's daily.  It's hourly.  It's making progress.  

That's my "resolution" this year, I guess.  To progress a little in all the most important areas of my life: faith, relationships, work, health...fun!

And I want to more fully appreciate the whole messy process.  Why?  Because my life is a gift.  

A good life is also about the pauses to re-evaluate and reflect. It's about being thankful and relishing the moment.  It's about paying attention to the wonder in the world. 

No one does their walk perfectly.  We get side-tracked.  Heck, sometimes we veer waaaay off track.  We stumble, we fall. Sometimes we get run off the daggone road by someone else! 

But we can't just lay in the ditch.  We gotta keep walking, and it certainly helps if we "got goals." 

We may not reach all our destinations, at least not in the dazzling way that we once hoped for, but surely we will get closer to them, if we just walk on.