So This is Gonna Be Lame--I Mean, Okay, I Guess

That's a weird title for a "Happy New Year!" post, isn't it? But if you've been following me for a long time, then you're probably not surprised by it. Astonishingly, I didn't just choose this title to be a downer. I truly did want a title for my "hello, 2015" post to be a unique compared to everyone else's. Bu this probably isn't what others would have in mind.

It's just, I saw everyone else's New Year posts and I kinda felt obligated to do this one, even though right now it's like an hour away from being two days after the first day of 2015. (Oh, yay! My first totally confusing written sentence of the year! To be honest, it came faster than I thought it would. My first confusing spoken sentence of the year came like two minutes into January 1.)

Anyway, I think right now I'm supposed to talk about how amazing 2014 was and how 2015 will be even more amazing. Well, I know I'm trying to stop being a pessimist, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop being a realist. 2014 was hard. Spiritually, financially, physically...it was a struggle. And that's the thing. Life's never going to stop being a struggle. The trick is to get tougher every year, so that you'll be ready for next year's fight. 

So what'd I learn this year? I learned that a lot of the sucky moods I get in are brought on by myself. I learned that I can't try to fight the sucky stuff alone; I have to team up with God, or else I'm not going anywhere. I learned that raspberry leaf tea works wonders on cramps. I learned that social media can be toxic, and that it can be used as one of Satan's millions of distractions from God. I learned that I have to at least try to be happy, even if it means faking it at first. I learned that high school literature isn't as bad as books and movies make it out to be.

But I think the most important thing I learned was not to set expectations too high. I know that sounds like "saddo stuff" at first, but it's really logical. I used to start off years telling myself that I was going to turn "super Christian", that I was gonna make a bunch of friends, and that I was gonna write a book or start a photography blog or do something really major. But God has taught me to stick to the simple stuff--to remember to be thankful for my family, for my relationship with Him, and for all the little material things I have. 

This year, I'm not setting out to climb Mount Everest or find the lost ark. I know I'm gonna fall a lot of times (both spiritually and physically); I know I'm gonna catch cold feet about a bunch of things; I know I'm gonna be both disappointed and disappointing. But if I can get to the end of 2015 and still have God, my family, and my life, then I know I'll be okay.

☮