What Is Worth Keeping and What Is Worth Leaving Behind?

At this time of year, we hear about the highs and lows of the year.  Oftentimes, friends review the past twelve months and pick photos that best depict the high points of the year and make those images the centerpiece of their holiday greeting card.  Others review the year in stories.  They recount trips taken, babies born, experiences like marriages (or divorces), new jobs, etc.  Some years, the news is not so wonderful, in which case, we usually don't want to broadcast those images on any card or facebook post.  In fact, the year I was going through my divorce was the first year in my adult life that I couldn't even bring myself to send Christmas cards.  I was too distracted and upset.

We often have a feeling that when the calendar turns, our life will too.  The truth of the matter is more nuanced.  Life events come to us in waves.  We don't decide to get a new job and then have one the next day.  We don't get a nasty head cold and then get better in minutes.   There is a gradual building up and a gradual letting down.  "Things" take time--their own sweet time.  

As we say goodbye to 2016, we can reflect on what the year brought to our lives and made our lives worth living.  We can think about the people who helped us and made our life feel richer and more meaningful.  We can consider the experiences we had that stretched us.  We can even review the losses we suffered.  It is likely a complex picture.  With a full range of emotions as human beings, of course it is a complex picture.

Now is a good time to consider all that 2016 brought to our lives--and what we would like to expand upon in 2017 and what we'd like to leave behind.  How do you enjoy spending your valuable free time?  Are you fulfilled in your hobbies and activities?  Is there more to learn, or is it time to move on to something else entirely?  What about the people you spend time with?  Are you still benefiting from those connections in a way that matters to you, or is it time to disengage a bit?  What about the state of your health?  Are you happy with what you do to promote and preserve good health and wellbeing?  Are you feeling that this is an area to improve upon?  There is no right or wrong answer, and there is no judgment.  It's up to you how you value and view things.  

So consider your life a precious one.  Consider the run-up to 2017 to be a time of transition to more of what you'd like to invite.   Do not waste your precious life.