Lately my posts are so repetitive. 2016 has been a shitty year. Life is so unpredictable... blah blah blah. And that is very true. 2016 has been truly a more challenging year so far.
Let's list some of the challenges.
1) Difficulty at work began end of 2015 and into 2016
2) Had to delete some people from my life
3) Had a bought of digestive issues
4) Illness in family
5) Got injured at work 2x
6) Got supeoned to go to court
7) and was forced by work to do something I really didn't want to do...
Life in general...around me
1) a handful my friends in education are having some anxiety issues with work...including myself.
2) some broken long term relationships
3) Trump being the candidate for Republican Party
4) Forest fires running rampant throughout Canada
That's the tone of the year... and it's continuing that way. I thought this must be the ripening of negative karma from the past. Or something is going on that I just don't understand because I had it good... I really did for many years running. Every year was getting better and that was my expectation for this year too. Every year I had more enriching experiences. I guess, I really dont' know, these trials i'm experiencing now may be some of the most enriching in my life after some perspective. In the end there are only two ways to approach these situations. 1) fixate on them and make life all about the negativity I see around me...or 2) fix what I see around me in whichever way I can by making changes.... and also trying to learn something from it.
So...here is the good of 2016... let's not just focus on the bad stuff.
1) At some point in the beginning of the year I remembered how much I loved my job that involves working with children with autism with intense behaviours.
2) I appreciated my coworkers more than any other time before in my life
3) I was very grateful to have practice and use meditation more consistently
4) Bodhi meditation Center was always available to me
5) Beautiful weather
6) Snowshoeing in Whistler.
7) Tubing in whistler
8) Went to Utah with Elaine in March. Saw the beautiful Arches. Experienced Zion. Had a wonderful time.
9) Visited my grandfather. Happily surprised and relieved that he was recovering well and was eating. Getting stronger everyday.
10) Will be going camping for the first time.
11) Every time I could have been seriously injured I was protected.
12) My mechanic was able to track down some recipts for my taxes.
13) I saw a hummingbird
14) lots of art and painting.
15) Saw Eckart Tolle.
There must be more i'm not remembering...
One thing is for sure... I learned a lot in this short time. I learned to appreciate time off. I learned to be grateful for the simple things I have because if I choose to be dissatisfied with life, life will show me how lucky I was. I learned to not let things control me completely... to solve problems rather than to be afraid of situations. I learned that even if you had to do something hard, in the spare moments when you are not doing that hard thing, you need to live your life as full as you can. Most of all, give what you can and help and love and be happy. Life is ever so fragile and ever so precious. We can all go tomorrow. So today make it worthwhile.
