The Jig is Up

The older I get, and by no means am I old, but I do believe I have become seriously enlightened by life and people, big and small, every day. I just want to say out loud so many times, that the jig is up. I am not falling for that anymore. This applies to so many things I face every day, with my kids, myself, my husband and everyone else out there that I may run into every single day. This is whether I see you face to face, or out there in the social media world. This includes  running into myself. The jig is up my friend.

Recently, I was talking to my friend, about life and the many struggles with parenting, adulting, and just keeping ourselves in a good mental place. I jokingly said that every morning I truly do my best to start my day in a good place. I try to get a good nights sleep, I get up early to have time to myself, plan my day, read my devotion, say my prayers, meditate, enjoy coffee and I honestly feel like I have equipped myself for a good day.

Then….I start running into people. Yes, I laugh when I say this….because you have to. But seriously, one by one, they try to knock me down. Either they aren’t in a good mood, or they just don’t like that I am in a good mood, or maybe I wasn’t really in a great place to begin with. Either way, I finally decided to take some responsibility, I know, I know… we all should right, and not let other humans knock us down, whether they were trying to, or not.

I was recently checking out at Trader Joe’s, and the lady checking me out was telling me about a lady that had just screamed at her about something very small. I talk to this lady every time I am there, and I told her not to let it get to her and forget about it. She looked right at me, smiling and happily said, “there is no way I am taking on her anger, no way”.  She was completely confident about letting it go, and honestly I believed her. She inspired me. I was getting worked up listening to her story, but right when she said that, I totally relaxed. She was right. Why, oh why, do we ever hold on to someone else’s frustration.

Anyway, for me, I have decided that the jig is up. This is my life, my day, and my choices. I am truly grateful for every single day I have. God has shown me too many times lately. We only have today. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. Life changes so quickly.

Listen…you don’t have to look far to see someone who is truly facing too much. Just too much. One day their life changed. My prayer list is very, very long these days. There are so many people I want to help in some way, just to lighten their load, or brighten their day. These are overwhelming situations they are facing, but they are doing it, because they have to.

When I say the jig is up, I am deciding a few things…

Let’s first start with this…We all know what honesty, authenticity, and kindness really look like. We really, really do. Let us do our best to be REAL, honest and kind. This matters so very much.

I am not jumping to the worst scenario with you every time….I am relying on faith every day and as my friend Luke Bryan would say…I really do believe most people are good.

I AM responsible for my choices, my reactions, my mindset and my life. I can’t let others change this.

I am not taking on anyone else’s choices or energy. It is theirs, not mine. I will repeat this mantra 100 times every day.

I am doing my best to change my thoughts when I begin to judge, because this is possible and because I can.

I am not letting other people’s judgement of me define me. This really used to bother me and get to me. This jig is up.

I am doing my best to choose love every time, because THIS is MY choice. This can be hard, but when I soften my thoughts, and bring my heart into it, the situation changes, because we are all hurting in some way.

I am not responsible for other people’s choices. I can only be responsible for my own.

I get to show my kids that we can choose differently. We all mess up…every day. We get to choose again. This is how we grow in Christ. Forgiveness. Acceptance. Choosing again.

I know that I can not make everyone happy. I can only try my best to do my best every day.

I also know that when something is bothering me, that I truly need to be honest with myself, and maybe it is something that I need to work on.

I could keep going, but this is enough. I am starting here.

In order to do all these things, we have to take care of ourselves. This is not just fitness and nutrition. This is taking care of our mind and our heart. This is quiet time. This is meditation. This involves hugs and love. This is forgiveness. This is spending time with good friends. This is taking dinner to someone to brighten their day. Sending a text message to encourage someone. Calling a friend. Complimenting someone. Complimenting yourself. Being good to yourself. Daily prayer. Talking to God throughout the day.

My point is that exercise and eating good are a good start, but we also have to nourish our whole self. This involves so much more. Relationships. Quiet time. Fun. Passion. Prayer. Gratitude. This article is a good start.

I have written many times about the whole self. If you aren’t feeling your best, try to determine what you are missing. Work on one thing at a time. It is absolutely possible to feel better. Tell yourself…..The Jig is Up buddy. If you aren’t sure what you are missing, please reach out to me, I would love to help.

Two authors that have really helped me strengthen my mind and heart lately are Rachel Macy Stafford and Gabrielle Bernstein. I love all of their work. All good and all love.

Enjoy today and be sure to smile.