Two more sleeps

Well, here we are...  two more sleeps until my 43rd birthday. My 42nd NEW is already done, but I'll wait til then to post it - besides, the effect of it will not happen until Wednesday.

NEW chimes!  Love it!! 

I commented on Facebook about how I recently saw blogs about other people doing new challenges. This is funny to me because of course I'd never heard of anyone doing such a thing when I first challenged myself to do it. Like when you come up with a BRILLIANT idea for an invention, only to discover that your invention has actually been around since 1854....  what? Someone already thought of slicing bread?!? Well I'll be!

These two blogs were crazy challenges though - one was for 365 new things. Okay - that's somewhat doable, but still... there are days when getting out of bed is just darn good enough! Well, that's my opinion anyhow. The other blog was for 1,000 new things.  One thousand - in a year!! That just seems outrageous to me. Fortunately, it's so outrageous that I don't feel diminished at all in my meager 42 NEW, which I was feeling a bit upon first seeing the 365 new. As I thought about it though, I realized that they have their reasons for picking those numbers - and I have mine for mine.  It's okay. That's their thing; this is mine.

NEW fruit! 

Besides, my lovely friend, and long time blog follower, stated what I'd kind of been feeling about it, which is that I've focused more on quality over quantity - at least quality in my eyes. She also said that the 1,000 person probably has to do things like eat a leaf, or wear their shirt inside out on purpose one day. Hee!

If I did 1,000 NEWs, I'd have to have counted getting stalked and threatened by a duck!

There have also been a few times lately that I've thought about how some of my good friends have been doing really HUGE new and amazing things - just because it was right for them to do. So brave and awesome!!  And here I am, like... "Oohhhh - get me - I just got flowers hand-painted on my toes!" ☺

Yeah, it's hard to not compare ourselves to others, sometimes - especially we people-pleasers - but it's one of those things to stay mentally and spiritually strong against, I think. We are all on our own walk, after all. Somehow it seems I've accidentally grown in this way a bit over the last year or so.

Getting a custom made necklace is NEW!

As I reflect back, I acknowledge that I've definitely done more than 42 NEW this year. I've only counted those that I considered challenge worthy, for whatever reason that struck me at the moment. (Yeah, there may have been some whimsy involved!)  Some I combined into one that could really have been two or more. I'm good with my choices, of course; I only mention it to say that the challenge made me see that there are so many opportunities for NEW - big and small - all around us. We just need to look... and make a decision.

Seeking ways to love (in action) kids again is an old NEW; one I've had to repress for a while in order to manage life.
(Photo is from nokidhungry.org - check it out!)

It may take me a while to process through all that the whole NEW at 42 experience really means to me, but it's been quite good. It's been good to acknowledge and appreciate the naturally occurring NEW, and to seek out and step out into the NEW. It's been good to continue to acknowledge my losses, alongside seeking the NEW.

Yes, it's been good to accept that I'm juxta girl.

When I chose juxtaposition as the theme for one of January's Photo 52 themes, I simply had no idea how much I'd internalize it. Truly, I just chose it because it sounded like an interesting and challenging photography theme. It certainly was, but for some reason, it also continues to help me process through the deep grief and deep gratitude that is my life.

I'll be the first to tell you that we may not always get the NEW that we long for, but life still longs to live.

"People always say, 'I don't know where the Lord is leading me.' I always say, 'It don't really make a whole lot of difference.' The important thing is to be where He has led you to already. If He has led you into a marriage, then be faithful there. If He has led you into being single, then be faithful there. If He has blessed you with many material goods, then be a good steward of those goods. And if He has blessed you by allowing you to imitate His life of poverty, then imitate it with great joy."  (Rich Mullins)

So very grateful for all the support and encouragement I've received all the way! 

With love,
HJ