A Simple Resolution for 2014

I started writing this post as a list of places I want to visit and travel resolutions I’d like to make for 2014 but in the past few days, with the advent of the new year, I’ve been considering the value of resolutions and goals. Of course, I would love to stay fit and healthy in 2014, and I hope to travel to a number of different destinations throughout the year, but those things don’t define who I am. Being fit and toned, not eating sugar or getting a few more stamps in my passport don’t make me a better person.

I tend to spend my life looking forward to the next holiday, the next event or the next celebration, and I often forget to enjoy the in-between moments. As a blogger, it’s easy to look at my life as a series of social media updates and blog posts, curating everything to ensure it looks good online. But of course, life is so much more than a series of Facebook statuses and Tweets, and I want to make sure I don’t lose sight of that.

Sometimes it takes a little perspective to help refocus your priorities. I had such a dose of perspective yesterday, and it made me see that I should be concentrating more on enjoying every moment of my life than looking good either online or off.

A young woman who I knew in my hometown of Adelaide some years back was in an accident with her fiancé just a few months ago, and they are both now in wheelchairs, unable to perform the basic movements that we all take for granted. I only discovered this yesterday when a mutual friend shared a post that this woman, Elise, wrote on her brand new blog. I urge you to head over to Elise’s daily account of her new life, as it is uplifting, encouraging…and challenging:

“don’t take it for granted that you can walk, talk, pick something up, feed yourself, cough or even sneeze properly! All of those things I couldn’t do at some point and when I could, by gosh it was like man walked on the moon!”

This just reiterates what I was already thinking about; that I need to enjoy and appreciate all of my life, not just the parts that I deem to be blog-worthy or tweetable. I admire Elise’s courage and attitude throughout what must be an incredibly frustrating time. As someone who gets frustrated when my Oyster card doesn’t scan correctly the first time, I think I have a lot to learn about being gracious and positive in any situation, no matter how bad I think it is at the time.

So here’s to 2014: a year that will hopefully be filled with travel and health, but more importantly, lived in such a way that it is not wasted, wished away or taken for granted.

What are your hopes for the year ahead?

All images from Pinterest. Original source unknown.