REFLECTIONS

Photo by @sericoco_s.blog

December 🎄has always been a time of reflection for me, a moment to take in the past eleven months and evaluate all my actions and inactions, my highs and my lows and most importantly a moment to lay out what I could do better. This is not always an easy thing to do because sometimes, the lady that stares back at me has not been the best she could have been and facing that truth is what determines if I will grow or not.
Reflecting on the past eleven months of 2018, ushers in a whole lot of emotions. The past months have been teaching moments, I have learnt a few things about myself as an individual. Some, I am extremely proud of but others make me hang my head in shame. Yet, there was one key factor that pulled me through and it was the reminder that my circumstances do not define me.
I will like to dedicate this post to the better me I know I can be, and also to the better you that I know you can be. Do not be ashamed to stare back at yourself, do not let those mistakes no matter how grievous limit you, and never let go of faith that is the one key factor that I know has helped me over the past twenty - something years of my life 😉😉.
Reflecting also brings to my notice the things I am yet to achieve, just like me, a lot of us we stepped into the year 2018 with a list of desires even if some of us especially me never made a new year resolution 😶 and looking back now we find that we were unable to tick off all on our 2018 want list. I encourage you to not be devastated because if you truly look back in an in-depth manner you will discover there were also a lot of things you did not plan for but they made your year 2018 great. All in all people like a great saying says "Never let the success get to your head, and never let the failures get to your heart"
Another beautiful thing about December is that it is a time for me to not only reflect but a time to be grateful like the Good Book says " Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus" - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

It Costs Nothing To Be Nice

So I woke up this morning and literally struggled out of bed, I was not feeling like myself but knew I had to be at work to begin a few projects. I struggled to do all the necessities before stepping out. Once I was ready I called an uber and when the Uber driver arrived I stepped out. The first thing I noticed when I got in was that he smiled when I said my name [ I always do this to ensure i am in the right vehicle], a few seconds later handed me a notebook where he wrote:

"Good Morning Hope you had a lovely night?
Merry Christmas and a Happy New year in Advance"

This encounter might not be the most unique thing but the one  thing that stood out to me was his gesture, one he has probably repeated so many times but never saw as him doing something unique but I realized that he went an extra mile to make me his rider feel comfortable, this was not something he had to do but something he chose to do. Just him going that extra mile made me shake the blues away. I for one know that when I'm stressed I tend to take it out on everyone by retreating into silence but then as this year is running to an end I want to be a thermostat not a thermometer. 😂😂 I probably lost you there for a bit, do not worry I will explain. I read a book a few months back (cannot remember the title 😕) and it described both instruments. It referred to a thermometer as an equipment that tells you the temperature in the room so as a thermometer my circumstances determines my reactions and mood but then a thermostat adjusts the temperature of the room which means that my circumstances do not determine my reaction or my mood. So there you have it, my early morning thought. I implore us all to strive to be a thermostat not a thermometer and be nice to all even those who hurt you.After reading what was passed to me, it immediately dawned on me that he was deaf and could not speak. At that moment I let his smile wash over me and I smiled back. A lot of us, myself included are never that nice we tend to use our current situation or emotion as a predictor of how we should act to others including those who have nothing to do with what happened to us.

Bible Verse for the day: "But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God; Yes, let them rejoice with gladness" - Psalm 68:3