Salsa On A White Shirt

It’s the first day of the New Year, and I’ve already spilled salsa on my white shirt. In past years, my Perfectionistic Younger Self might have received that spillage with dismay, perhaps fretting that it was a prediction of Mess and Frustration in this New Year. But not my Wiser Sightly-Older Self. With a quick whoosh of my stocking-stuffered Tide-To-Go stick, my shirt looks laundry-fresh. And I like to think, if I believed in omens, that the salsa-on-white predicts Spontaneity and Creativity in the months to come. Possibly even Passion and Zeal!

There are a few more tips I would give to my Perfectionistic Younger Self, if I could scrounge up a time machine and give her a few bullet-points to focus on this year. I would tell her:

~Don’t wish the winter away in your longing for spring. Enjoy the sun sparkling on snowflakes, the warmth of the cozy comforter, the marshmallows in the cocoa. Each day has it’s gifts. Slow down, notice, and appreciate.

~Don’t stress about unimportant things, like the drawer that’s untidy or the shabbiness of the chair you are hoping to replace. Your kids don’t care and God won’t ask you about those things. You can have a more perfect home when they move out. Look them in the eyes and enjoy them now. They’ll be grown and out before you know it. One of them almost is.

~Family dinners are sacred. Guard them jealously and make them happen. They matter more than a flurry of scheduled activities. The shared stories, laughter and prayer time is crucial for your childrens' sense of belonging. You’ll see lasting fruit in their lives from those dinners. Trust me.

~If you don’t like a group, then quit. It’s not for you, and that’s okay. Most things are less important than they seem at the time. Life is too short to agonize about what people think. And on that note; only take advice from the prayerfully wise. You’ll recognize them as the ones with your best interests at heart.

~Guard your tongue. You don’t have to have the last word, quickest wit, most impressive story. Just shhhhhhh more often.

~Remember and pursue your childhood first loves, like art and theater, writing and friendships. You’ll stay a more interesting person.

~One day last summer, my yoga class took our mats outside. As we lay on the grass on our backs, I watched the puffy cloud formations in the sky. I realized I hadn’t done that since I was a child. Do more of that this year. A lot more, my Perfectionistic Younger Self.

I'm hoping my Wiser Slightly-Older Self heeds this counsel as well, and has a Creatively Passionate, Sparkly Snowflake, Untidy Drawer, Casserole-Eating, Wise, Quiet, Child-like, Puffy-Cloud 2011. Happy New Year, my friends!