Monday – 4/21/2014

Happy Dyngus Day!

Yesterday, the Lord blessed us with an absolutely beautiful day to accompany His miraculous gift of the resurrection and the unconditional love that comes with it.

Christians around the world, including myself, participated in a variety of Easter Sunday rituals celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. It’s a time full of love and hope.

Quite appropriate that the first day of sunny and 75° weather was Easter Sunday. After all, Easter brings with it the promise of a new beginning for all of us.

New beginnings bring with them a chance to wipe the slate clean. Sometimes, we find ourselves literally wiping things clean through our own annual ritual of spring cleaning. I got a head start this past week when I decided to clean out my closet.

My closet looks like the place where dressing room rejects go to die. Its shelves are packed, brimming with stuff I tell myself I plan to wear soon, even though I can’t remember the last time I did. There are way too many pants and shirts hung on plastic hangers, smashed so tightly together, there’s hardly any room to slide them aside to sort through its contents.

I asked Tanya to hold up each dress shirt or pair of dress pants so I could give the old “yay” or “nay” on whether or not to keep it. There was definitely a disproportionate number of “nays”, as she tossed article after article of clothing into the “no longer need” pile.

A somber mix of emotions bounced around my head as I watched the pile grow larger. I literally found myself remembering when and where I wore each pair of pants or button-down dress shirt. I couldn’t help but think back to when I used to get dressed every morning for work. I liked getting dressed up. That was a morning ritual I repeated every day for more than a decade, yet haven’t done once in the past five years. And I wondered if and when I’ll ever have the chance to repeat it again.

These days, I’m stuck in a pattern of repeating a different morning routine.

Yet, the strange thing is that while the ritual may have changed, the excitement I have to take on each new day hasn’t. In fact, in some ways it’s actually grown stronger. As I reread that last sentence, it even seems strange to me. I really can’t explain it. People have always asked me how I find the strength to stay positive in spite of the challenges I might face.

All I can tell them is, “I choose to.”

Even when it comes to tossing aside pieces of the past, like a shirt.

What is beautiful, yet scary, about each moment, each ritual, each beginning, is that the choice is left up to us to interpret the moment as we see fit.

It’s easy, and quite natural, to slip into a melancholy facet of emotion as you remember what it was that you lost, no longer have, or don’t expect to have any more. However, that’s also when the opportunity exists to embrace the “Do Over” and start anew.

Even when it’s hard. You just need to choose to.

A few weeks ago I posted a litany of things to Stop doing. I recently came across the inverse of the very same list. It was an extremely powerful reminder of things to Start doing. And it’s much more than just doing the opposite.

Believe it or not, there is a difference between “Stop worrying so much” and “Start concentrating on the things you can control”. You might say it’s simply a matter of interpretation.

Start spending time with the right people.
Start facing your problems head on.
Start being honest with yourself about everything.
Start making your own happiness a priority.
Start being yourself, genuinely and proudly.
Start noticing and living in the present.
Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you.
Start being more polite to yourself.
Start enjoying the things you already have.
Start creating your own happiness.
Start giving your ideas and dreams a chance.
Start believing that you’re ready for the next step.
Start entering new relationships for the right reasons.
Start giving new people you meet a chance.
Start competing against an earlier version of yourself.
Start cheering for other people’s victories.
Start looking for the silver lining in tough situations.
Start forgiving yourself and others.
Start helping those around you.
Start listening to your own inner voice.
Start being attentive to your stress level and take short breaks
Start noticing the beauty of small moments.
Start accepting things when they are less-than-perfect.
Start working towards your goals every single day.
Start being more open about how you feel.
Start taking full accountability for your life.
Start actively nurturing your most important relationships.
Start concentrating on the things you can control.
Start focusing on the possibility of positive outcomes.
Start noticing how wealthy you are right now.

It’s Spring. Out with the old and in with the new. Time to get started with a new ritual.

Stand Strong!

Scott