When It’s Not a Happy New Year

We’re eight days into the new year and may I just say I’d like a do-over?

Of course, I know that’s not how life works. There’s no rewind button in life. No pause button, either. We do life in forward motion – sometimes fast-forward.

Circumstances? Well, they are often beyond our control. The first week of this brand-new year has taught me that reality once again.

One of my adult daughters welcomed 2020 from a hospital room. There wasn’t a whole lot of celebration going on. Her husband sat in the room next to her bed and held her hand while she slept – and he was thankful they were together.

The first days of the new year overflowed with stress and concern and sleepless nights intertwined with lots and lots of prayers.

Our family banded together because it’s what we do. We traded off cars and taking care of the two young GRANDgirls and the two big dogs and going to the hospital and getting meals for my son-in-love and answering phone calls and updating Facebook posts so friends would know how to pray. Sometimes we slept. Sometimes we didn’t.

In between the unexpected crisis, we dealt with all the regular stuff of life as best we could because real life goes on even when everything has been upended by a medical emergency.

We all like to think of the new year as a fresh start … something better than what we had last year.

But to be honest, 2019 was a tough year for me. For my family.

And 2020 has started out much the same.

And I know I don’t get a do-over.

And I know I’m not promised easier days ahead.

Yes, it’s a new year, but it’s the same old lesson: I can’t control my circumstances no matter how much I want to. No matter how hard I try.

Life is full of both the hard and the good … and I don’t get to choose what each day holds.

I can only choose how I respond to the circumstances in each day.

And sometimes … sometimes I don’t want to make the right choices. I just want to react. Go with the “why me?” or the “is this ever going to get better?” responses.

It’s easier to act that way, but those kinds of questions just make a tough situation worse.

Instead, I need to:

Avoid jumping to conclusions. “Life has always been this tough” and “Life will never be any better than this” are not fair statements. Overreacting doesn’t help me or anyone else.
Be gentle with myself. In times of stress, I find ways to decrease pressure. Naps are good. Saying no to non-essentials is even better.
Look for the good. It’s easy to get tunnel vision during a crisis and see only the negative. I need to purposefully look for positive things, even if it’s as simple as a feel-good YouTube video or listening to my GRANDkiddos’ laughter or recalling a favorite Scripture passage.

What about you? Are you looking for a do-over in the new year? What do you do when circumstances are beyond your control?

 

When it's Not a Happy New Year http://bit.ly/2Qy8lMT #perspective #encouragement
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'Circumstances are beyond human control, but our conduct is in our own power.' Quote by Benjamin Disraeli http://bit.ly/2Qy8lMT #perspective #encouragement
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