There is a carousel at the mall where I used to shop. I'm not much of a mall person, but there is always a reason one needs to make a quick trip to the mall. So, every so often, I would pack up the kids and off to the mall we went. Every single time we would get there, the first thing the kids would ask for would be to go on the carousel. And every single time, I would roll my eyes and think..."Ugh, it's expensive, it's a waste of time, and it's the same ride as the last time we were here." But they insisted, as children do, and off to the carousel we went.
I would sit on a bench watching the horses, giraffes and other animals as they passed by again and again and again and I would see my kids smiling again and again and again. At that moment I would think..."Hum. I quite honestly enjoy seeing the joy and smiles on their faces. It's simple, it's innocent and it's pure."
They would hop off their chosen animal and come running to tell me about their adventure. Happiness at it's simplest form.
As the years passed and the kids grew, the request to go on the carousel faded. I would offer and they would reply with the simple, "No, we're good." I realized that I missed looking at the animals going around and catching the smiles on the kids faces.
Once the kids got much older and chose not to go to the mall at all with me, I would look at the carousel with nostalgia and a tightness in my chest knowing that I could not get that time back....the imagination, the laughs, the few minutes of no complaining! I also realized that the carousel was a little like life...up and down, round and around. Sometimes you just need to get off that ride as fast as possible while sometimes it seems magical.
It's the first week of 2023. The beginning of each year marks an opportunity to restart, reset and restore. There is something exciting yet frightening about the start of a new year. Is 2023 the year that everything will stay the same or where things will really change? When things stay the same, most people feel unaccomplished. But when something changes, the realization of that change, however small the change is, can be monumental.
Some people make resolutions. Others create solutions. Others don't do anything at all. They maintain the course. There is no right or wrong. But there is that personal choice to either do something different, set a goal and try to make a change, or not.
Just like the carousel ride, every year will bring ups and downs. It will bring challenges and wonderful memories. There will be days that you simply feel dizzy from being on this crazy ride, while other days you could spin around for hours and feel amazing.
However you have started your year...with lofty goals or with the simple goal of making it through the day, know that at the end of the ride we call 2023, there will be memories, there will be tears, there will be smiles. Cherish the emotions. Allow yourself kindness and grace. Find forgiveness if things don't go as planned. Find joy in the things that do. 365 days of ups and downs! Let's get on, stay on, hang on and enjoy the ride.
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