Picking up the pieces. Together.

Have you, like me, thought this year could benefit from a collective do-over? Perhaps you’ve read the poem, penned by Leslie Dwight, circulating social media. I’ve always held to the mindset “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Yet it’s obvious that not just our nation—but our world—is broken. Christians call it fallen. And I can’t help wonder if this decade is, indeed, a wake-up call to pick up the pieces. While our choices of action might be limited, our choices of thought are not. We choose to think the best—or the worst. We choose to trust or to fear. To believe lies or to seek out the truth. To love or to hate. Admittedly, it would be less painful to press a restart button on 2020. Because to inform change requires the messy work. Is it so far-fetched to imagine a world where we worked together to pick up the pieces? I choose to think it’s a possibility.

How will you accept Dwight’s challenge?

Image source: today.com.

If life was a game we could return to start

You know how hindsight is 20-20? The kind of situation “if you knew then what you know now…?” For instance, if I had altered a few of my investments, I could’ve retired 4½ years sooner. Or, if I hadn’t spent the last 4½ months making unmindful nutrition choices, I’d be in a better place physically, mentally and emotionally—and my impending blood panel wouldn’t concern me. It seems I’m spending more time in that space where I wish I could go back to redeem a “pass go & collect $200” card. But, as I mention in “A brand new ending,” we cannot demand a do over. Consequently, the impetus that draws my mind (multiple times a day!) from the “if-then” mentality so I can win at life is this: I will never be that same person and I cannot recapture the past. Instead, I must view myself in light of the present in order to fashion a better future.

How do you win at the game of life?

Image courtesy of Keerati at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

If you could do it all over again: would you?

Every positive change in your life
begins with a clear, unequivocal decision
that you are going to either do something
or stop doing something. ~ Anonymous

If life afforded a “do-over” button or an instant replay, and you could relive the last X number of days from a specific set point (determined by you), would you? This idea stems from a novel I’m reading: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. A Sci-Fi suspense thriller, the premise begs the question of a multiverse—an infinite realm of being or potential being of which the universe is regarded as a part or instance. If presented with the opportunity, I would do it all over again: I would live more—and worry less—a lot sooner. It seems a shame that it oftentimes takes age to precede wisdom (or at least that’s the plan). But the good news is that every moment offers us the chance to make a positive change. Almost like a do-over.

Would you do it all over again?

Photo courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

The secret to letting go (of what you can’t control)

 

The key to letting go is giving up what is
beyond your control to embrace
what you can change. ~ Suzie Eller

There are times in life when you might run into situations that cause you to second guess yourself and maybe even desire a “do over.” However, in the long run it is typically healthier to forgo your former ways of thinking, doing or wishing by releasing whatever is beyond your control. The secret? Mindfulness. In my post “7 tips to incorporate mindfulness…,” I describe mindfulness as the act of consciously directing your awareness, without judgment—moment by moment. Take this a step further: If you discover that something doesn’t serve you in the present, then you must let it go in order to make room for new ways of thinking, relating and living. Instead of wishful thinking, choose mindful thinking. When you embrace what you can change today, you begin to entertain hope for your future.

What have you let go in order to move forward?

Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Wiping the slate clean

In the game of life, we don’t get a second chance.  We’re born with X number of allotted years and when they run out, we’re done.  No extra spins.  But while we’re making our moves and setting the course for our future — attending college or jumping right into a career, getting married, having kids, buying our dream home, playing the stock market — we’re sometimes afforded one of those rare opportunities or two for a “do over”— to spin one more time.  For me, after more than two decades since my high school graduation and working in one career, I returned to college and completed my Bachelor’s degree, and  now I’m employed in a field I’m passionate about.  And after 18 years of mediocre motherhood, I was given the chance to parent an adult child and the dynamics that come with it.  Perhaps more importantly, if we’ve been hurt or wronged someone along the way, we may be fortunate enough to collectively wipe the board game clean, put the past behind and start over.  But it requires laying it all on the line — spinning the dial to see if you lose it all, or you’re the big winner in the end.  Only you can decide if it’s worth the risk.

Is there a “do over” you’re hoping for?