We spend so much time helping other people and prioritizing the things around us, so many of us fall short of actually helping ourselves. We make sure our partners are getting what they need. We make sure our kids have all of their needs met. We make sure work is taken care of. And most of us make sure we bring our good attitudes wherever we go. But at the end of the day, we fall short of taking care of ourselves. We are too exhausted and too drained to think about what we need. We are too preoccupied with the people around us to prioritize ourselves and the things that would make us the better versions of who we are.

There are so many things to juggle in life these days. We’ve got our work and our families. We’ve got our friends and our relationships. We have current events and current affairs to keep up with. And that doesn’t include all the day to day stresses and opportunities. That doesn’t include all the day to day hopes and doubts. Life is finding it’s way back to normal, but normal seems to be a balance of overwhelming and over booking. We all seem to be adjusting to our new lives of working hard and playing harder. We live in a “do more” society that feeds the mentality of more is always better.

As we reemerge from our two years of isolation, we are trying to find our way back to normal. We are seeking out relationships that have been masked and distanced. We are connecting with people far away in hopes of travel adventures. And along with all of these new found freedoms, the reality that we have taken on some not so favorable habits, can make this time feel a lot more daunting than it needs to be. For some, it might be staying in bed an extra 30 minutes, instead of getting out for an early morning workout or run. For others it might the nightly justification to have that extra glass of wine or extra dessert. And then some of us, maybe its more of all of the above and then some.

This morning I taught a class to 10 athletes in 25 degree temperatures. I can not even start to explain how awesome it is to coach a bunch of bad ass, hard core athletes. I love that they didn’t make excuses, they didn’t complain and each person was actually proud of the person next to them. Standing in that cold, I never would have known that the temperatures were well below freezing, the smiles and encouragement were something to be amazed by. They commented on the sun rise, they commented on the surroundings, but they didn’t complain, or at least if they did there was a smile behind their words.

The new year is here. Between quarantining and some serious snow days, my holidays lacked most celebrations and festivities. When the calendars moved into 2022, I was feeling empty and alone. The new year was just another moment in time. After a long walk and some quiet space, I was kind of tired of feeling sorry for myself. In that moment, I knew what my New Years Resolution/Goal would be. This year I am going to show gratitude more often. I definitely won’t turn into a Peloton instructor, but I can share my gratitude with the people and things around me. Because I am very grateful. I am grateful for my friendships and relationships. I am grateful for a business I love to work in. I am grateful for the places I get to go. I am grateful for the experiences I get to have. Honestly, there isn’t much in my life that I can complain about. Ok, fine, give me a girls night filled with charcuterie and champagne and I am sure I can come up with a few things.

The darkest day of the year came and went. The town was lit up with Christmas trees and holiday lights. So many memories were made and so many people were seen. We ate all sorts of holiday goodness and drank our way through the season. We spent time inside with family and friends. We filled our evenings with Hallmark movies and homemade goodies. We laughed over nothing and danced for no reason. This was a season of much needed celebrations and smiles. But this holiday season has come to an end and most of us might be feeling a little sad and wistful.

Tis the season for thankfulness and abundance. Tis the season for friendships and obligations. Tis the season for stormy nights and Hallmark movies. The year is wrapping up and yet there is a slow crawl to the end. We don’t know what the holidays will look like yet, we don’t know what the future holds and we are pinned in the middle of the here and now. We have officially stepped into the threshold of the holiday season. And I think it is time we celebrate. It is time to give our quiet moments to all the people and all the chaos in our lives.

The end of the year is fast approaching. As we gear up for a candy filled month, it’s also a prelude into a season filled with festivities and indulgences. The grocery store isles are lined with bite size candy, soon to be replaced with pumpkin pie and followed by peppermint bark. Sugar is around every corner waiting for the smallest of excuses to be consumed. Temptations are gearing up and we are going to have to figure out a way to make it through to the other side. We can enjoy this moment right now, it is the calm before the storm.

A few months ago, it really felt like the world was going to open. We saw friendly faces in the grocery store. We hugged our friends and shook hands with acquaintances. We had gatherings with people we barely knew and started planning travels to new and foreign places. But all that halted. We are suddenly and expectantly frozen in time. The unknown is more of a constant than a temporary. We lack expertise in most things pandemic related, yet we are bombarded with facts and options that usually melt together into confusion and fiction. We thought we had seen the worst of it, and yet we are living in the erratic world that is our present.

The days are slipping away and the end of the week arrives faster than expected. I would normally embrace the weekends, but it just seems like the months are finishing before I had time to enjoy them. With the pace moving rapidly and all the chaos overwhelming me, I took some much needed time away and time alone last month. I took my annual solo trip and holed myself up in a hotel for a weekend with hopes of figuring out all of life’s complications and problems. I wanted to feel reenergized with work and ready to tackle all things business.