It's here: The time of grandiose resolutions. Where we're supposed to write down a list of goals for the next year, like go to the gym every day or finally stop procrastinating (someday). We think about the end—closing the chapter and cleaning off a slate. Saying "see ya later" (or hopefully, see you never) to a year's worth of mistakes, slip-ups, or tiny tragedies that break our hearts just a little.
We love ends, and grand finales, and spectacular finishes—we have encores and sequels in spades, and we're totally the people who skip to the last chapter because we want to know how the book ends. We save the most delicious bite for last and we’re supposed to kiss the person we love (or want to love) at the very end of the year.
We forget the middle.
But the middle is where all the good stuff happens.
Think about your last really good day, or a moment that made you stop-in-your-tracks happy: It probably wasn't some big planned thing. It was kismet, those little magic moments that aren't anything out of the ordinary...but totally, completely are. That text that made you smile or the person paying for your coffee at Starbucks. That time someone went out of their way to be kind, or did something that inspired you so much, you wanted to get up and run ten miles (or take a trip. or celebrate from your couch). Maybe it caught you off-guard or was a moment where all your work paid off. But I bet it was a moment in the middle.
It's easy to get caught up in the hype: This is the year I stop eating French Fries! (Don't do that, are you crazy?!) This is the year I run a marathon! This is the year I become a millionaire!
Those are all good goals, worthy goals. Do the big stuff—fall in love, have adventures, try to move mountains, break rules, dream bigger and bolder. But don’t forget the little stuff, too. Be a little kinder. A little more thoughtful. A little more aware of the awesomeness of this life. Because it matters.
I hope in 2015, we remember to love the little moments that create the middle, because the middle is our life. It's those little pieces that make a big difference...a kind word, going out of your way to make someone else happy, or even $1.
It doesn't have to be big to be important. And it doesn't have to be perfect to be meaningful.
Maybe 2014 was your best year ever—awesome! Maybe you dream of 2015 looking a little different. Regardless, I hope we love the middle as much as the end, appreciate the little stuff, and do whatever we can to put a little bit of goodness out.
May this year be magic for you.
Let's toast to the middles.
Rainesford Alexandra
Communications
The Monday Life
@Rainesford