my new year's revelation

You know what a resolution is. It's something millions of people make in anticipation of the new year. It's a time we all figure out what we want in our lives and make a resolution to get it, make it, feel it, etc. 

I am no different. I always make a resolution, and depending on what it is, I have varying levels of success. So when 2013 came around, I decided I should probably start my annual resolution reflection. The only problem was that I couldn't remember what my resolution was!

Luckily, I keep this blog so I did a little digging in the archives and discovered that I had entirely forgotten about my resolution for 2012.

So what was it?



Get rid of plastic bags.

Oops. I am no closer to reaching that goal than I was when 2012 started.

When I realized this, I was disappointed and started to write a blog post about my failed resolution. But then I got curious and started looking for resolutions I made in previous years and realized something unexpected:

I accomplished my resolution from 2011 without knowing it!

If you didn't already know, I am generally a stressed-out person. I have had numerous chiropractors and massage therapists tell me that my stress is held in knots all over my body. In fact, I had one exclaim, "you're so little and held together by knots!" when she tried to massage my shoulders. 

Anyway, in an effort to be happier and less stressed, Josh and I started a happy memories jar mid-way through 2012. Our goal was to write a happy memory on a slip of paper and put it in a jar, to be read only at the end of the year so we could remember all of the good things that happened and not dwell on the frustrations and disappointments. And little by little, our jar began to fill up.


So on New Years Day we sat down at the kitchen table and read all of our happy moments from 2012, out loud and one-by-one.

Some of them were memorable moments, like a new job or anniversary, but there were also the slips of paper that held more insignificant moments, like the time we picked a random park to explore, or the first warm day of the spring. We mentioned visits with family, outings with friends to pick blueberries, and lazy days at home just enjoying each others company. It was so fun to remember all of the things we did last year that seemed so small. But when you add up all of the little moments, you realize that those are the moments that make you truly happy! I have this bad habit of always counting down to something. That's great, but if you are always looking forward to something you never really enjoy the moments in between.

Here a few of the contents from our happy memories jar:

• Figured out the cause of my acid reflux, which I am able to manage successfully with a special diet
• Josh met his weight loss goal and shed 40 pounds
• My best friend Nicole announced that she is pregnant with her first child
• We started volunteering for Portland Farmers Market
• Josh was hired as a brewer at Lompoc Brewing 
• We celebrated our second wedding anniversary with a trip to Astoria
• We went camping in Idaho with my family
• We went to Union, OR for a Merrick family reunion
• Our friends Bennett and Riley were married in a beautiful ceremony we got to attend
• I passed the one-year mark at my job at PECI
• We celebrated my Granddad Ray's 80th birthday with a party in Spokane
• I went on a girls trip to Washington, DC
• Josh and I put an offer on our first house (it's a short sale and we are still waiting)

After we got done reading each memory, I realized that I AM happier and less stressed than I was when 2012 started. I worked hard to get where I am, so it's not all because of the jar, but I do believe that the simple act of writing down all of the little and big things that make me happy helped me to actually be happy.

I have a few small goals picked out for 2013, but I'm not sure I'll keep them, and I'm not too worried about it either, because my most important resolution is to continue to appreciate the blessings in my life and not worry so much. And if getting rid of plastic bags happens too, well I'll just write it on a slip of paper and put it in the happy memories jar.