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Usually I leave each month having learned an important lesson . Something new . Something different . Some of the times I don’t want to share what I learned but mostly they have been a worthwhile learning experience. But this year I have gained so much knowledge and as we approach the new year I’d like to share things I have learned.
January…there is no real reason to celebrate the new year. Unless you really plan to do something with it . I had no idea what I wanted for January 2018 but at that point anything was better than 2017. In January I learned that planning is not such a bad thing. And camera phones are overrated which became a theme for my entire year . Especially when considering that live button on social media.
February …I had a clearer vision of how I wanted my year to go. I started a vision board. This year we decided to set the outlandish things aside and focus on those things that we really wanted for the new year. After all planning works. February we celebrate my husband and one thing I learned this year…only invite those who know how to celebrate others . Otherwise you are wasting your time .
March…I realized how fast children grow up . My baby boy turned 18, I wished that I had taken more time to enjoy his childhood and not wished he grew up so fast. We have more years together and I have 4 other babies to experience life with . This planning thing came in handy when I planned my countdown of tears to his graduation so I wouldn’t cry on graduation. My tears began March 9 . March 11 I celebrated with my second son …he’s 14 and still a baby and I am okay with that for right now . Life moves fast when you’re having fun. March is also the month my sweet mother was born and the reason why all of my kids names start with a P. This month she taught me a huge lesson on loyalty in the month of March.
April …I have wondered why April even exists . April has always been a difficult month for me , full of fear of tornadoes and impending storms . Its still kind of fall and winter mixed with a sprinkle of warm weather and lots of rain . Easter happened and it happened relatively passively. I struggled with crowd participation as I lead my youth . No support from parents often means no support from the children and that’s something that we all have to deal with considering that on Easter parents expect to see something. And though I tried my best it just didn’t happen. This year I learned that even though it has always been my goal to include everyone , you cannot please everyone. It was a tough lesson and I questioned its validity. But the second lesson and the most important lesson I learned is that liars believe their own lies.
May…My daughters birthday month. They are growing up. I realized that even though they are different we MUST do the same thing twice. That means that their special days have to be identical right down to the birthday cake even though they try to convince me otherwise. May was also Mother’s day and Peyton’s graduation . Through my planning process I was well prepared for Peyton’s big day. That was the moment we had all been waiting on … getting my first love across the stage successfully . As we watched the video montage of baby pictures from the year 2000 till now a since of pride came over me that I was both able to have the help I needed to finish college and put him through school. And though others tried to take my day for their personal gain…that was one of the best mother’s day gifts that my mom and I ever experienced together. I learned not to sweat the small stuff especially when I know the truth.
June …Preparation is everything. Water is appropriate for life and one must exercise to make it through the stuffy Summer month in the South. June also reminded me to keep a tight schedule even though it stays lighter outside. Recreation is also needed and swimming releases stress. Also in June I realized how big Mississippi State University really was and how much of a hassle it is to get financial aid processed in such a large college. I wonder how larger colleges work. My two colleges were very small.
July…My sweet baby boy’s birthday and my Daddy’s birthday . It is very important to have Christmas in July. Travel as much as you can in July because school supplies enter into the stores during that month. Two baths a day is okay and rain is very very very important both for nature and for those moments you need the kids to take a quick nap. Don’t let those school supplies scare you …place an order and have them delivered.
August…First day of school. Remember those list that I keep? It kept me on top of my coupons for uniforms for the first day of school. That last mini vacation afforded me time to buy school shoes. I also learned that communication and your integrity is vital to make it in life. Also living solely off the military is a test of your faith and sanity. And the last thing I learned is that silence still exists. I felt like I had won an award when that last little baby walked out of the door to school. Life is constant.
September …budgeting became common place for me. I learned that saving that Starbuck’s money really, really, really adds up. I learned that anxiety is only in the mind and you can control it . And husbands that travel are okay to live with. Mid morning walking is wonderful , a time to reflect, catch up on news stories and release your worries. And though April made me feel like people were unloveable September allowed me to realize there are people who still have an open heart.
October …my birthday Month. I learned that if you want a party…you plan it. I don’t like to go out to dinner for my birthday , I don’t like birthday messages on facebook or twitter or instagram. I figured out that my age isn’t so bad and that it is all a state of mind. Character means everything and there is no happiness in crying and complaining and I need to tell my husband what I want in July and that way I will forget and then it can be a shock otherwise I hate birthdays. Also I learned to cherish real friends, I learned a dear lesson about Toxic relationships. And because of my new age I am allowed to say whatever I want to say and it doesn’t even matter.
November…I think thanksgiving is a a weird holiday . The older I get the more I realize that having friends and knowing how to talk to people is a lost art. There are a lot of socially awkward people in the world. I’d rather eat fresh salmon and grilled shrimp for thanksgiving and then after we eat what are we supposed to do ? Why do we plan for weeks to eat ? Are others planning other things and I just don’t know about it …we just go to a house and eat? Don’t we do that everyday? And a Thanksgiving nap is necessary .
December …Giving makes you feel so much better than receiving and my heart is bigger than I ever imagined. Just because its the end of the year doesn’t mean its the end of life , a journey , a goal and a dream. Your goal can still be achieved. Keep striving for your goals, remember your dreams, cross things off your list ( my vision board this year was the Business!!!) As long as there is life inside you there is still a chance to make all of your dreams come true….Basically
Tesha
i love reading yearly recaps like this — thank you for sharing your 2018 journey! may the coming year be filled with love and happiness ❤️