I know, I know, it is a new year and everyone always asks “What did you pick for a resolution?” To put it simply, I never do. They don’t last and my ideas of what is important change by the moment. So, this year I want to change my focus to what is really important to me. I have always enjoyed the little things in life. I have written blog posts about that in the past. Small things truly make me happy…and sometimes sad.

This year on New Year’s I realized that it will be the first year of my 60 years that my dad is nowhere to be found on this Earth. That was a really profound thought to experience. In the past even if I didn’t see him on a regular basis I at least knew how to reach him. And, it is strange to me that I have brief, but extreme blasts of emotional longing to hear his voice or send him a text. What I mean by that is that in my adult years my dad and I were not that close…or not as close as I wanted to be. I thought I had processed that years ago, yet I am finding a sadness that bubbles up while I am driving in the car or if I hear a particular song or notice the teensy purple flowers beginning to appear in my yard. I think to myself, “Get a grip! You are 60 years old. A grown woman.” Emotions have a way of sometimes taking over our rational minds.

What is Your Focus?

Do you have a new focus this year? What is it? I want to do things that make me feel good, satisfied. Lately, I have been doing a lot of writing of chapters that will go into a mental health textbook. I am thrilled to have this opportunity. It feels really good using my brain in this way. I have shared with family that it finally feels like my intelligence has met its match. I write a chapter, review it, and say to myself “Wow! This is good stuff!” And, it feels amazing!

I urge you to think about how you can change your focus in 2024 to something that makes you feel good, instead of “bettering” yourself. Do you want to learn how to bake? Take the time to do so…and then eat the cake! Do you want to read a certain number of books this year? Go to it. Make time on your schedule to enjoy reading!

I Challenge you

I challenge you to make the changes you need to make to be satisfied. It is not always about losing weight in order to fit into a smaller size. Choose a focus that expands your mind. Remember that good mental health improves overall health. All those healthy choices that we make are good for our bodies, but we also need to nurture our minds.