A Mindful Year

This year has been strange to say the least, and has not gone exactly the way I expected. A good chunk of the first part of 2025 was spent helping with my in-laws before my mother-in-law passed away the day after Easter. And as we are entering into the last part of 2025 I think the word, mindful, is an accurate description of how the year as gone so far.

In fact, I was browsing in a local book store and found this book entited, A Mindful Year. It is a journal of daily writing prompts and I just started it the other day. 

I've worked at being intentional in many of the areas of my life and I think "mindful" is a good word to use. 

I've been mindful in taking time to pray, read, and hear what God is saying to me. 

I've been mindful in getting in many days of exercise each week, especially getting out and walking and enjoying the sights and sounds of nature.

I've been intentional with family and taking time for them.

I've been mindful in my other relationships and taking some time each week in connecting with friends, either through going out for coffee, having someone here at the house or sending handmade cards in the mail.

I've been mindful of the food I put into my body. It's been 2 years since I lost all the weight (73 lbs.) and I've kept it off by being mindful of eating those things that are nutritional. I do know whenever I slip up and eat anything with sugar, oil or salt that I don't feel well. So I've stuck with a plant-based, whole foods diet.

I've been mindful about getting back into the things that bring pleasure. When I don't take time to create I find that life loses some of it's enjoyment for me. I've gotten back into the sewing room.

I've been mindful of dwelling on the good things in my life and not focusing on the negative. I was finding that each night I would start to feel a cloud of depression coming over me and I would focus on everything going wrong. So I've been making it a habit to have the last thing I think about at night is the ways I've been blessed. I try and make thanksgiving the last thought on my mind before falling asleep. It definitely takes a lot of practice, but it is helping. 

I've been mindful of the costs that are going up and doing my best to get food at a good price and then preserving it for the winter. It's a lot of work, but I know I'll be happy I did it this winter.

When I barrel through my days and rush from one thing to the next without being intentional, I find that time zips by in a mindless fashion. There have been times when I know I've been over-the-top busy, but can barely remember what I've done.

As I've worked on slowing down, staying in the moment and being mindful about what I'm doing that my productivity actually seems to go up, but I'm enjoying each step in the process. As I reflect on all that God is doing in my life, I've developed an appreciation for His work. As I mindfully connect with those around me, I enjoy my relationships more. 

Having a desire to be mindful has allowed me to have a deeper appreciation for my life. I'm thankful for the reminder to  slow down and have a mindful year.

It's been a game-changer for me.