I’m more than willing to call myself out when I make a mistake. And friends, oooh, did I make a mistake last year! I chose to focus on these words (these words!):

What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven’t even happened yet. —Anne Frank

Um, really. Why yes, I did. But in all fairness, on January 1, 2020, I hadn’t been paying enough attention to what was happening in the rest of the world. And honestly, neither was our government. (I won’t taint my moment of zen here today with a diatribe on that.) But honestly, could I have picked anything less applicable for 2020? I’m still grateful–my problems are miniscule compared to the countless others who have suffered or died because of the pandemic and all its sequelae.

As you can imagine, then, my words for 2021 have been thoughtfully and carefully chosen. And these words in particular were quoted by Ashleigh Renard* (who says that while the origin of the quote is unclear, it may have come from Diddy) when she looked back on lessons learned in this never-ending, cataclysmic, honest-to-goodness shit show of a year known as 2020.

You should give a fuck. You really should. But only about things that set your soul on fire. Save your fucks for magical shit.

So that’s the plan, friends. This year, I’ll still think that the best days are before us. I’ll still care. I’ll still help others. I’ll still strive to make the world a better place. But I’ll be saving most of my time and energy for things that matter.

Happy New Year, friends, and make sure to find that “magical shit” in your own lives!

Image of snow with 2021 by Markéta Machová from Pixabay.

*Follow Ashleigh on Instagram for more wise words and other things.