Starting 2016

I have to say, 2015 was an awesome year. Even if I didn't blog about it.

Deer in early spring.

It was awesome for many reasons. I lead a fulfilling life full of good things. This doesn't mean that I don't have disappointments, losses, and frustrations. I do.

However, I know I have it good :

• I have a body that walks, runs, and bends. I get sick, and I have aches, but overall, I'm a healthy person with health insurance and access to whole foods and time for exercise.
• I am married to an amazing partner – we don't always agree, but we resolve our differences with care and thought. We make each other laugh, support one another, and celebrate one another. We're a team.
• I have a fulfilling job. Sometimes I get frustrated by my job, or get stressed out or annoyed by situations often out of my control. My livelihood is meaningful, fun, and interesting. It encourages my passions, allows me to be creative, provides variety, and lets me tap into my strengths. Perhaps even more importantly, I get to learn new things all the time in topics that I care about – ecology, science, education, and animal care.
• I also have wonderful people in my life – a support network. I don't always get to see who I'd like to see, I don't always get along with family members (and I'm always amazed by people who seem to), and sometimes I don't live up to being the best kind of friend. Yet, I have made and cultivated connections over the years that elevate me, and give me the opportunity to elevate others. This is awesome.

Not everyone in the world has such abundance in their life. I am grateful.

I think this mindset is born of the fact that I learned to pay attention. I can have anxious, frenetic, querulous, damaging thoughts and feelings. I can easily allow negative situations become the context which within I live my life. Since I have been learning how to command my attention, I have allowed things to settle into a balance. Yes, I have frustrating and upsetting things that happen in my life. Yet, I don't let these things control me. I don't give it more attention than it actually warrants. I try very hard to let things go, celebrate successes, and know that all things come to pass.

This is due in part to some more consistent practices in my life. I meditate for six minutes a day, almost every day. I practice gathas and mindfulness throughout the rest of the day – and I am practicing, because I have certainly not perfected it. I practice yoga, and this helps me to be more flexible in mind, and more calm in body.

No one is perfect, and no life is perfect. But, wouldn't it be boring if life was perfect?