Appreciation | Be Still My Heart Blog

Hiya! I can’t believe December is nearly over. Where has this year gone? I am sure you’re asking yourself the same question. I think this year has been the fastest of my life thus far and it frightens me. They say the older you get the faster the years go and I’m starting to believe whoever “they” are. For as long as I can remember I’ve stuck to one resolution and one resolution only when it comes to New Year’s, however I’m feeling a little sparky this year and thought I’d mix up the bag. Some of these are unique to me and others are some I’ve seen floating around in the abyss. Either way, I hope you can enjoy and perhaps foster them into some of your rezzy’s for this 2017!

Set up a recurring donation: If there is something that is close to your heart, perhaps you could have a few bucks deducted from each paycheck to go towards your favorite charity. You won’t even know the money is missing and you’ll be doing something wonderful!
Boost Positive Daily Thoughts: This is a fun one! Sign up for a daily, motivational text through Shine text and you can share the beaming energy with your friends and co-workers.
Provide in Tangible Ways: We don’t always have an extra $5 to give to every homeless person on the street, but perhaps we can keep a few extra water bottles in our car, a banana, or even a PB&J. Get creative, help can come in many forms and can be a lot more than money!
Downsize Social Media Time: This is a big one for moi and for many others, I believe. Social media is just so damn entertaining and it’s fun being nosey and seeing what everyone is up to, but it can also be very time consuming. Limiting yourself to X amount of time per day will make you feel less tied to your phone, but in case you need a little help…there’s an app (go figure) that lets you know if you’re spending too much time on your phone and kicks you OFF! Check it out for your smartphone.
Get my To-Do-List ON: I am notorious for procrastination and being scatterbrained. I want to keep a better check on my schedule and my to-do’s in a proficient way, with the upmost potential to all of my devices and this online to-do-list seems to be the lifesaver that will help me stay afloat…and it’s free, yippee!
Reality TV vs. Educational TV: Another thing I am notorious for is reality television. Anything on Bravo, I’m there and hooked, doesn’t matter the show or the plot, all that matters is that Andy Cohen is behind it. However, I’m not learning much other than maybe a few new hot words. So, instead of constantly filling my head with reality TV, I figure I’ll swap that out with something that is more educational, such as a documentary or something along those lines in which I can learn from.
Say No More: Here’s the deal, I want to say yes to everyone and please everyone, but saying yes isn’t good for anyone involved if you’re being stretched too thin and putting their needs above your own. Honesty is the best policy and people will respect you so much more if you speak up.
Take Time to Meditate: The practice of meditation can be physically, emotionally and mentally empowering. Setting time aside for yourself as a body and soul is so important and has the power to improve your whole life if you practice daily.
Drink Hot Water w/ Lemon: When I was originally diagnosed a friend of mine told me to drink this every morning and I did for a while. It is tremendously good for your digestive track, amongst other things. It’s about that time to get back on that wagon.
Learn Another Language: In High School I took Spanish but I did not retain a thing. I have quite a bit of time on my hands these days and a spartphone at my disposal with a free app like Duolingo. Why not brush up on my español?
Get Outside More: Typically I am such a homebody, this upcoming year I want to start taking advantage of my awesome neighborhood and beautiful city. Getting outside can clear your head and a bit of fresh air can do you a world of good.
Build More Experiences: Not to focus on the material aspects of life, but instead the experiences. The short road trips to California, the weekends up at the cabin, concerts and festivals with friends, the possibilities are endless. Experiences and memories over things and items will last a lifetime.
Turn Negatives Into Positives: We live in a world where the negatives seem to outweigh the positives these days. Instead of looking at the glass half empty, look at the glass half full and your whole perspective on life will change.
Say I Love You More Often: Since I was diagnosed I have no shame in telling the people that I love that I love them all the time, even at times completely out of the blue. I’m sure it gets annoying but if it pops into my head, I want them to know it. Friends or family, it doesn’t matter — don’t carry shame for love, yell it from the rooftops if that’s how you feel.
Show Others Your Appreciation: I am fortunate enough to constantly have people doing such lovely things for me and I feel inadequate when it comes to showing my appreciation. This year I want to be sure that I am showing my appreciation in full force.
Don’t Take Anything Too Seriously: Have a laugh, loosen up, be the butt of your own joke. You can’t take anything in life too seriously, there’s always someone out there that has it worse off than you and you must remind yourself of that. We’re all pretty fortunate.
Forgive: Last but not least, forgive those who have hurt your or forgive yourself. Life is too short and as we know the years are way too short to hold onto anything negative. Come into the new year with a fresh start and a clean heart.

Happy New Year, my loves!

Love,

Britt

This evening, during my nightly phone call to my Mum, the subject of time came up. I was asking when my younger siblings were going to be released from school for summer break, to which she replied within the next two weeks. This means that my baby brothers and sister will be another year older; one a junior, one a freshman and the baby of the family will be in seventh grade. It got me thinking, where does time go?

As a child we wait for so many things- a birthday, Christmas, school dances, getting our drivers license, graduation, then college. As adults we tend less to wait for things, as the time flashes before us in the blink of an eye and the real treasure is time itself. There isn’t a remote to pause, rewind or stop the hands of time, but somehow it seems as though everything is fixed on fast-forward and it’s astonishing how short a time it can take for things to transform. In life, our days are numbered, but our souls do not have calendars or clocks, nor do they know the notion of time.

Over the weekend, it was one of those times where I wish life came with a remote. I wanted to freeze time and soak up all of the contentment that life in that very moment had to offer. Friday began with my very best friend visiting from California, where we spent the day laughing and generally being our weird selves, followed by Saturday which was spent with our small gang, “ABC”, Allison, Britt and Crystal. My best ladies and I reveled in the Arizona sunshine by sitting poolside, coupled with amazing cocktails and lots of chatter. The time spent was precious and long awaited, but never the less fleeting in its momentary bliss. The day transitioned into night, where some other friends joined us whom we hadn’t seen in some time, along with our significant others. Happiness was shared all around and before I could clench to the occasion, it was over in an instant and I retrieved to enfolding my best friend in a goodbye hug. Just like that the visit had come to a close and we are back to counting the days until we would see each other again.

The busy and quickening weekend forged ahead and my lovely cousin, Tom and his beautiful bride to be, Steph, stopped in Arizona on their journey across America. Tom and Steph are visiting from England and although our time spent together was short lived before they were off on their next destination, we embraced every moment of their company, enjoying it to the hilt. The four of us explored Downtown Phoenix, whilst bar hopping and having a great laugh. Once again the time flashed before us and was over in an instant.

I’m so eternally grateful to have such amazing relationships and people in my life. Time spent with all of them is definitely time well spent. It’s the oldest story in the history of the world; one day you’re ten and planning for someday and then quietly without ever really noticing, that someday is today and that someday is yesterday and this is your life. Try to enjoy every moment that you are given, stop to appreciate the small things and most importantly hang on to the memories that make you happy, for the experience of them is what makes life truly worthwhile.