August begins anew today, giving us cause to flip the calendar to a new page.
Yes I am old-school and still use paper calendars. Perhaps you find electronic devices easier, but I happen to think paper is fun and enjoy the different beach and nature themes of the calendars I have hanging in my kitchen, my home office and my work office.
As I quickly flip the calendar page, I feel a flash of melancholy as I realize that another month, especially a summer month, has come and gone. The summer season is so uplifting for me that I really hang on to every day that is long and warm and sunny.
I also enjoy the idea that when I flip a page of a paper calendar to a new month, I immediately see all the days laid out organized new and fresh.
What will we do with our new month?
For me, some of these days already are commited to my full-time job, health appointments or having people come to my house to get things fixed or improved. And some of these August days also happen to be the birthdays of family and friends and a cause to stop and celebrate their special day.
But what of the other days?
I try to see these days as opportunities to pursue an interest, to engage in learning, or to stretch my personal gifts.
To set aside time to give back or invest in my own mental or physical health. I continue to crawl and make mistakes but then there are the days when I feel things truly click together and I want to fly. It can be so very difficult to rebuild your life after losing a loved one or experiencing a personal trauma such as a health crisis or losing your job. I am with you and understand that bottom of the well feeling. There are definitely tears and pain but there can also be positive surprises if you decide to move from that low place.
Starting over is risky but starting over is also essential.
As I grow older, I find that life is constantly about re-evaluating and continuing to stay as open as I possibly can to getting out there and enjoying life and not looking at the calendar as a bunch of events that tell me life is happening on some level but I’m not really feeling it. Marking time and checking things off is not living.
Every day can take you closer to a new life or a new way of thinking about your life.
Is there something that you could do today that you have been putting off doing or is there something have wondered about and just haven’t found the time to pursue?
It’s a new month, full of new possibilities and today could be the day that you set your life in a different direction.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a big thing or a small thing but for you it could be a different and new thing.
Surprise yourself!
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