"Grown-ups like numbers. When you tell them about a new friend, they never ask questions about what really matters.
They never ask: 'What does his voice sound like?' 'What games does he like best?' 'Does he collect butterflies?'.
They ask: 'How old is he?' 'How many brothers does he have?' 'How much does he weigh?' 'How much money does his father make?' Only then do they think they know him."
-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
"The Little Prince"
Lately, I've felt as though I am much too serious. When did I lose my childhood abandon? My love for simplicity? My heart for quiet?
Indeed, I love the solitude of reading, the aloneness of running, and the simplicity of writing. But, when did I become so over-committed that I lose my soul? At times I feel pulled in so many directions that my breath feels heavy in my chest and my eyes blur.
For the coming year, I am making a single resolution: simplify.
I want to clean out belongings that I no longer use and only clutter my existence. I hope to rid myself of being the "yes-man". I yearn for time alone, time with Doug, time with my family, time to just be.
("We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize." Thich Nhat Hanh is a genius. Why didn't I think of that?)
The last 23 years have gone by so quickly and I have not been fully engaged. I am often separate from the moment, lost in a world of necessaries. How can I learn to exist in the now?
This year, I resolve to practice mindfulness, to meditate, to pray, to exist in complete fullness of the moment and love of the present. I resolve to be fully engaged with my life.
