Just a quick update before I head off to read for a bit.

Today is the 7^th of February, the 38^th day of 2019. For all of us who are still fighting forward in our New Year’s Resolutions, we’ve now made it 26 days past the time when most Americans call it quits and 17 days past the date for simple habit formation. Well done.

I’m still on my gluten free, sugar free, and dairy free menu with no cheats and no regrets. However, I am having an ice-cream party with my children at school tomorrow and I might be sorely tempted to lick a spoon or two. One of my little ones requested dairy-free ice-cream, so that’s the one I’ll sample if I cave. At least it’s still gluten and dairy free. We need some special treats now and then. I’m already planning out all the possible treats for my birthday next month.

I’ve also kicked my exercising up a notch. In January I began walking on the treadmill again. In February, I added some strength training. Not quite every day, but more than every other.

I’ve also been reading and praying more. I made a list of the activities that I find to be the most important to me and I keep track of which I do each day. Because I’m being intentional about how I spend my time, I’m finding that the tv isn’t running nearly as much as it used to and the decluttering and organizing is coming along nicely. I even got another draft submitted for my doctoral study, which received some positive feedback from my first chair. I've blogged every day this year. And I got a stack of papers graded today.

I’m not where I’m hoping to be by the end of the year, but I’m making good progress and I’m enjoying the journey. That’s the part I have to keep returning to. Sometimes I become so task focused that I forget that the journey is just as important as the destination.

Life is too short to spend it asking if we’re there yet, or to waste it looking out the back window wishing we hadn’t left so much behind. We need to thrive in the now and enjoy our today. We need to stick to our exercise plans and eat healthy so we can have a better tomorrow. But we also need to savor today, and every now and then, we need to lick the spoons.

Enjoy your right now!