Samsmom: Life, Joy, Loss and Loving your Mitochondria

I love New Years.

I love Vision Boards.

I sit on the floor surrounded by old magazines, a pair of scissors, puffy paints, glitter, glue stick and stickers and create a vision for your next year.

I know. Super Cheese. I spent three hours today Vision-Boarding my next 365 days. And according to my vision board, 2023 is going to be amazing.

I say the above with about 50% jest. I do honestly take this time to think about what worked and what didn’t work last year. And although I might not change, I ask myself what I want to focus on in this next year? What can help me get there?  I pull out quotes, memories, reflect and dream.

It’s a lovely ritual- a needed break from the Christmas frenzy.

I always finish the holidays slightly askew.

My life is strewn about like remnants of ribbon and wrapping paper, munching on a green sugar cookie in the shape of a sock, wondering where things went wrong after Halloween.

This is my time to reflect and regroup.

2022.

Recover

For me and my tribe.

From a major surgery- to finishing 2022 in my happiest place, knee deep in powder and pain free.

To our community recovering from a fire that tore through our town

For a friend reeling from an unfathomable loss

Recover.

It takes time to recover. It takes reflection, a focus on healing, an eye on hope. A belief that our worst times will not define us.

Recovery takes our loves raising us on high.

And raising our loves in return.

It took three hours, 8 magazines, and a bottle of glitter glue to pronounce, reveal and reflect on this year and bundle it into some sort of package.

Recover.

Sometimes recover is peppered with platitudes; ‘bounce back’, ‘stronger than ever’, ‘overcome’.

But what if recover is coupled with time, relax, regroup, meditate, lean in, search, listen, embrace imperfection.

2022 taught me a lot. I lift my head above the garland, tinsel, leftover sparkle and greet the New Year with an extended hand

To the opportunity to recover and the gift of another year.