Time To Reset!

“Who were you before?  Before what?” you might ask. Well, before life got busy. “Who were you when you laughed freely and felt whole and good about yourself when life was full of promise?” Zora Neale Hurston once said, “I love myself when I am laughing.”

Ask yourself these questions before 2024 comes to a close. You may wonder privately and succinctly who or what stole your laughter and enthusiasm. As you mature and remain here, life gets busy. A thing called responsibility sets in and you may have pushed the pause button and put a few dreams on hold.

Thus, your smiling brows turned to a scowl as you problem-solved and tried to figure things out. You put on your thinking cap and found some solutions, not realizing that some problems can take decades to solve. Yet, when duty called, those carefree feelings flew out of the window and some goals were placed on the back burner.

Aging and ailing parents along with other beloved elders in the family may have required your immediate attention. Your plans went astray and you were taken off of your personal game plan. And during those times, bosses may have understood that you had to be St. Elsewhere. Some did not and the job had to go as you sorted out your priorities, which included putting family first.

And during those romantic liaisons, when the fork in the road arose, there may have been an erasure of frivolous attitudes. Those break-ups may have required packing up  and leaving a certain space or place.

Or, those other loved ones, near and dear left you feeling drained after pulling on your resources. Then, after you became worn and torn like Margery Williams’ The Velveteen Rabbit, they turned around and ghosted you, because you had temporarily lost your fluff.

Regardless of the reasons, that you have lost your pizzazz, this is a good time to do a reset. It is time to take a long look back and re-ask yourself, “What were my aspirations before the bombardment of others’ needs took me off of my path?“

Make a list as if you are an eighteen-year old about to embark on the voyage of life. Like Santa, check your list twice. Take a deep breath. Unfurl your brow. Shake the dust off of your feet and get busy doing you. Push your reset button! Singer Aaliyah said in Try Again, “If at first you don’t succeed. Then dust yourself off and try again!”

Lynn M.
December 26, 2024