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Turning 32

I have been writing but I have not been posting anything for lots of reasons. To name a few...

  1. Life has been CRAZY! See details below.
  2. I have barely had time to process things for myself, much less process them to the point of writing and sharing.
  3. Yes, as many of you likely suspected, we’ve been going through some struggles.
  4. Some things in my life have been so good, I didn’t want to give anyone else the opportunity to sour it with passive-aggressive comments, criticism, etc.
  5. We’re walking in God’s faithfulness in the most important area to me and I know He’s not done yet.  I do not know how to celebrate this publicly without making the rest awkward.

 

Reflecting on Year 32

Since moving to Texas, Matt’s job title has changed twice.  My job has officially stayed the same, but teaching during these “unprecedented times” has me feeling like my job has changed WAY more times than his.  We’ve gone from a part-time marriage (barely seeing each other due to his travel) to a full-time marriage (he’s working from home because of Covid).  We’ve gone from no kids to three teenagers… after we bought the smallest house we have had in years (hindsight is 20/20).  Oh, and minor detail, Matt has lost about 50 pounds! And that is only some of the crazy!! lol

I have grown in many ways over the last 12 months.  I have physically grown, both taller and wider (not sure where these hips came from???).  I have grown in discipline- work outs, food, maintaining commitments, etc.  My emotional stability is the best it has ever been.  I regularly find myself contrasting emotions and reality and keeping myself grounded in what is true.  This year, I got back into the habit of reading consistently and listening to podcasts (I dropped those habits last year, insert excuse about being a 1st year teacher here).

At first glance I would say that I have not grown in kindness and patience but then I was reminded about my job and raising three teenagers full-time.  I am pretty sure that I HAVE grown in kindness, grace, patience, flexibility, and all related things, but they still stay depleted because of the current demand for those things in my life.

I have grown in confidence.  I am continuing to seek out and cultivate my identity both in my relationship with God and how I present myself in the world.  I am consistently giving myself permission to do things differently than everyone else around me and not just be okay with it but also enjoy it (blog post to come, maybe).  My sense of humor is on a different level these days, and I am definitely enjoying that.

I am fully embracing the cliché that 30 is the new 20.  I started a new career. I am in the best athletic shape I have been in my entire life and have leveled up in multiple areas.  I take great pride in knowing that the 32-year-old version of myself could beat the 18-year-old version of myself on the volleyball court, the basketball court, and in a 5K.  Annnd… I bought a motorcycle (more accurately, Matt bought me a motorcycle) and I learned how to drive it.  A year ago, the closest I had come to driving a motorcycle included pedaling.

 

I do hope to write and post more for year 33.  But looking at the list of other goals and aspirations, I am not making any promises lol.  I hope to continue to grow in my ability to turn down the background noise and focus on what is important.  To prioritize the demands around me.  To make everyday decisions with long-term goals in mind.  To bring these new levels of discipline back into my prayer life.  And continue cultivating this unique identity that I can take pride in. 

 

Impactful Quotes that I have heard/read this year…

  • Discipline requires discipline.  [Jeff Little, Milestone Church]
  • If you constantly feel overworked and overstretched, you are more than likely overestimating your own importance and not adequately empowering those around you. [paraphrased from Craig Groeschel]
  • We don’t rise to the level of our goals; we fall to the level of our systems. [James Clear, Atomic Habits]
  • On average, humans have shorter attention spans than a goldfish. [Study performed by Microsoft and mentioned in Irresistible by Adam Alter]
  • We judge others by their actions. We judge ourselves by our circumstances. [Jed Walker, Milestone Church]
  • Apathy always finds an excuse.  Passion always finds a way. [Craig Groeschel]

 

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