see mj write: day 29 {hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days}

at the beginning of the year, i made a list. remember, i like making lists.

this was a different list than any i had previously made, however. this was a list of words to live by. i wanted a theme - a one-worded theme - for my year. a word to focus on, periodically, as i went throughout my days. a word to keep in mind when things got hard. a word to remember when things were going well. a word to consider when prioritizing my activities. a word to help me live little more and be a little better for the next 365 days. it could be a verb, a noun, whatever i wanted it to be.

the list was pretty long: believe, dream, hope, faith, trust, learn, live, be, do, simplify, appreciate, smile, write, help, pray, family, mother, and gratitude were just a few of many. i think there were upwards of 50 submissions for the word.

i really have been thinking about it for four months. so i guess, because it's almost may, i should probably decide on one:

simplify.

i really need this in my life. i do a lot of things. some things are important. some things are not. i want to be able to purge what isn't and focus on what is.

in know this is easier said than done, but i've really been trying to focus on it lately, and i think it's working.

i'm simplifying my closet. i've already been to goodwill three times this year. i just don't need it all. i've had things in my cart at target and, more than once, i've put them all back and walked out of the store empty handed. {i'm pretty sure i deserve a standing ovation for this, by the way.}

i'm simplifying my schedule. you wouldn't think as much by looking at the list i wrote earlier this week, but i am. i don't go to every party, every girl's night, every this, every that. sometimes getting out is what is needed, but not always. sometimes things conflict, and i try to choose what would be best for our family. i love singing. i used to sing in a choir. but it wasn't the best thing for me to be away from our family each sunday, so it's gone. for now.

i'm simplifying my chores. i've tried really hard to divvy out my responsibilities and perform certain tasks on the same day each week. bathroom on tuesday and saturday. laundry on thursday. floors on friday. it's working! i'm finding that certain days are best for certain activities and things are getting done. {but let's be honest, ryan is still the best dishwasher.}

i'm simplifying our belongings. i went through our kitchen and purged what we hadn't used in the last year. there was a lot. some items i only had because, well, my mom had one when i was growing up. but i had an epiphany: i'm not my mom! i cook differently than her and so i use different kitchen items than she does. i also went through leah's things. i packed away the baby toys and broke the toys that made me mad. not really. but i honestly got rid of some perfectly good toys that just brought back bad memories.

i'm simplifying my necessities. there are certain things in my life that need to be done. and sometimes those things were pushed to the back burner because i was filling each minute with second-tier items.

i'm simplifying the reasons i do things. i don't run because i want to be like someone else or because i want to beat a certain time. i run because i know my whole day will run more smoothly if i do and it truly makes me a better wife and mother. those endorphins do wonders. and now, more than ever, i truly enjoy actually running.

i read to leah not because it will make her smarter or because that's what good moms do, but because i love watching her expressions as a story unfolds or as we look at a certain picture. i love spending that time with her.

i'm sure more simplifying will unfold as the year goes on. i truly hope it will.

i plan on having a word each year for a long time to come.

maybe next year i'll simplify and the list won't be so long.