Early last year, lying in a hospital bed, I mourned, “We didn’t get to go camping together.” Things looked bleak, and my husband asked if I had any life regrets. I don’t recall a word of this conversation, so I was as surprised as anyone to hear that NOT CAMPING was on my list of life disappointments!

Ah, there it was. That made sense. I was wanted, but the timing was difficult. That added up. Scientific studies confirm that babies pick up on emotions their mothers are feeling, even before they are born.

Do you find yourself overreacting to little irritations? Your spouse forgot to pick up something on the way home, and it sets you off in a bad mood for the entire evening. Your child tracked mud on the new carpet, and you explode.

One of the things that he said to us once stood out to me. He told us that fear gives us two options, which boil down to two acronyms created by author Zig Ziglar:

Forget Everything And Run or Face Everything And Rise

What might this look like in your own life? Well, consider your relationship with your parents. It’s quite possible that one of their greatest goals is to keep you safe while one of YOUR greatest goals is to try new things and see what the world has to offer. All sorts of arguments and conflicts can grow out of that.

It was a gift of a whole day. One that I would not have to spend in school waiting for the hours to pass by, but instead, I could go back to sleep, read a favorite book, play a game, go sledding or play in the snow, or just get cozy on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and a favorite movie to watch.

Here are a few ways you can take pretty normal, everyday activities and turn them into something more. Not only will you learn a lot in the process, but you’ll have a sense of accomplishment when you complete what you set out to do!

When was the last time you were generous towards someone else? Whether it was paying for your friend’s coffee, spending time volunteering at XYZ, helping someone carry something in even though you were busy, etc.?

Sometimes, as we get older, we may feel the need to shrug off traditions as silly and maybe even stifling. They may seem like something that we do “just because” and we have no connection as to why our family may do it in the first place.

Nature provides us with indicators that the seasons are about to change. One day you look outside and the leaves have started to change colors, the next day, you feel the nip in the air or see frost on the ground. Have you ever noticed subtle changes in the relationships around you?

I learned my lesson that year. And this year, when the volunteer squash and tomatoes popped up – they were ripped out. It pained me to have to rip out healthy plants, but I knew that if I didn’t pare down, nothing would grow well.

Kind of like life, right?

But what if you want to break out of the habits that you are in? What if some of the habits you do are detrimental to you and you need to add healthier ones in instead? 

When you hear the word “vacation,” what do you think about? Laying on the warm beach, listening to the waves with a book in hand? Hiking through the mountains on a brisk morning?

What comes to mind when you think of the words “date night?” Do you picture a young couple at a fancy restaurant, or maybe a married couple out on the town? Does date night always have to involve a romantic relationship?

As you watch the man across the room walk toward you, without even thinking about it, you begin to come to conclusions about what type of person this may be. Some are easier to reach than others. His height, for example, age, general level of fitness, and degree of grooming or self care.

Have you ever come across an inconsequential event, but yet it evokes a strong emotion in you like anger, irritation, or sadness? That particular event isn’t necessarily sad or irritating, but for some reason, that’s what it caused you to feel?

Just three letters, s-e-x, and yet that one little word packs an explosion of thoughts, feelings, memories, and beliefs. It’s a loaded word that we would do well to redefine. Your immediate reaction to it probably carries either an undercurrent of embarrassment or intrigue, possibly both.

We have turned into a people of consumption, so much so that we have a hard time not filling our entire day with it. The downside (well, one of the many) is that we have left little to no room for waiting, quiet contemplation, and thought.

She had no horses but thought she did. The funeral will be held in 1977. In lieu of flowers, send Brenda more life.” I STILL laugh out loud when I read that. We should let bots write all of our obituaries.

the whole time you’ve been forced to rest up, you’ve been grouchy and mad about it because you know the longer you rest, the more progress you lose in what you were working toward, whether that’s running a certain distance or winning a competitive sport.