As I was doing some of my new habits, such as fruit in the morning, I thought...There are different markers that we set up through our day! The depressed and hopeless me would eat pastry for breakfast and as I was eating it my mind would be saying, "Who cares, what's the difference, Why bother...." but the hopeful me is changing that inner dialog to, "I care!, This is going to make a difference!, I'm bothering to do this because I'm going to feel so much better!" I was a self-pity monster before and I only hurt myself! All the whining, bad choices and victim mind-sets did not stop the results of those choices! No one is going to live your life for you, only YOU can do that! Each day boils down to two things...will we choose to be moving forward or backward? There is no stagnant! Doing nothing is going backwards and that choice has so many consequences that will build up like barnacles on a boat! Choosing to move forward means the build up of the past is behind you and only hope lies ahead!
What kind of markers do we want to choose for our days? Well, the best marker for your day would be your first marker, how you choose to start your day. Although, if that doesn't go as planned you can choose to get back on track at anytime through your day! For me, choosing to eat my fruit in the morning sets a marker for my day. I may also plan out my daily menu or make a reasonable list of exactly what I want to accomplish that day. Taking my vitamins or stretching are good markers for me too because I like to do at least the things that I know are right and good even if my day isn't necessarily a good one. The markers are like little monuments that you build so you can look back on your time and have evidence of your good choices!
My husband and I both have this silly habit of not only making lists for everything but if we do something that's not on the list, we write it down and cross it off just so we can "see" the accomplishment! That's a marker! Anything that you recognize as positive should be a marker in your day, whether it be a smile that you shared or an act of service to a person or animal. Saying prayers, feeding your family healthy foods, and sometimes it could be something as simple as just deciding to sit up in bed rather than lying down or choosing to brush your teeth or do the dishes. Every one's markers will be different because they are so personal and by just deciding to be aware of them, our lives will change and move forward!
Last month I sat here and said, "I feel so helpless and hopeless, there has to be SOMETHING that I can do that will reverse this course I'm on!" I mean, seriously, trapped at home with no car, depressed with horrible physical pain and no options! Come oooon! But, after month's of trying the "pity party" to see if someone loved me enough (even God), that they would come and rescue me, I discovered that it is only ourselves that can change things. I still don't have a car, I live with pain but I chose to change what I could and that was my attitude, which in turn extinguished my depression. Choosing to address that issue was a statement of faith in action, which set a marker of hope for me! I plan on continuing to set healthy markers daily until they connect into a new lifestyle for me. God couldn't use me the way I had become, so the time I spent in the desert was a blessing. I'm the one who determined how long the desert stay would be since I chose to be stubborn and rebellious for quite a while! Well, I wore myself out and now God has me on a road to recovery so that I can be restored into a sharp and useful tool in His hands! That is why we're here you know!
Note: Keeping mental markers is fine but if you journal them, then you will visually see your life change and that is most encouraging! Try folding a piece of paper in half and writing each day your good markers on one side and your bad markers on the other side. A visual of your day will have a profound effect! We are not aware of it, but we do many more wonderful things in a day than not wonderful things yet, how often do we just focus on the few mistakes and not on all the good! Writing them all down, at least for a few days or awhile will show you where you need to make changes and it will also allow you to see that you really are a good marker yourself :)
Advised reading: Living a Beautiful Life by Alexandra Stoddard and her other book is Living Beautifully Together. She is one of my favorite authors! She has written many books and her insights as far as creating rituals, decorating not just your surroundings but your life and wisdom on living an orderly and peaceful life have blessed me throughout my life! I find her books interactive, fun and knowledgable....you can pick one up and look under her grace notes and you will find inspiration that will get you right out of your chair and creating!
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