16 promises to myself

Yesterday, I was scrolling through a messaging service, when I suddenly came upon a known face. A young mother and Air Force wife, whom I’d known from my time at another air base. Our stay at that base had overlapped by a few months. We’d often bump into each other during our evening walks. She with her new baby and me with my music. We’d exchange words and smiles. Talking about work, hobbies and life.

 Soon after we met, they moved to another base and we lost touch. What remained were memories of our chats.

So, when I stumbled upon her picture yesterday and read the RIPs below, I was shocked to discover that this vibrant young woman’s life had been cut short by cancer.

My head reeling and my heart heavy from this news, I stayed awake for a long time, thinking about her and the fickle nature of life. I thought about her little girl, her husband, her parents. I thought about what her dreams for her life had been.

I thought about the twists and turns of life, the dead-ends that can be slammed upon us at any moment, the shifting nature of our journey on Earth.

I also wondered about how often I took my time here for granted. Something that most of us do, as we let the days trickle away, confident that we’ve got at least another 30, if not more, years to fill with our dreams.

So, I made some promises to myself.

This is what I choose to remember and choose to do, every day that I wake up to a new morning:

·          Each day is a gift.

·         Each day deserves to be relished, like a glorious-but-melting ice-cream on a summer day.

·         Make learning a priority. Learn a new craft, a new hobby, a new skill.

·         Let go of mental clutter. Or at least, try to on a regular basis.

·         Stay away from drama – it just eats away precious time; time that could be used for better things.

·         Fill my day with what matters – family, laughter, knowledge, play, creativity, love, writing.

·         Write down my stories, my words, my journeys.

·         Avoid frittering away time on things that don’t matter.

·         Keep gossip & gossipy people, negativity & fluff at an arm's distance

·         Pick my battles wisely.

·         Spend time in nature, every single day.

·         Be grateful for what I have today.

·         Revel in this journey called motherhood – a journey filled with peaks and troughs, clouds and rainbows, smiles and tears, joys and challenges.

·         Surround myself with my haven – my son, husband and parents.

·         Nurture the person that’s me with exercise and nourishing food, alone-time and the arts, writing and work that talks to my soul.

·         Be less of a worrier (very challenging to practice, but I’m trying my best here!).

What will you promise yourself?

photo credit: sandeep banerjee