Contentment. It fits around the spirit like a well-worn glove, enveloping the heart and slowing down one’s thoughts. A cup of hot tea, a soft recliner with a good book, the snuggles of canine family members- they all add a layer or two of happiness.   According to Wikipedia, contentment is “a mental or emotional state of satisfaction maybe drawn from being at ease in one’s situation, body and mind.” As 2016 draws to a close and we look fresh in the face of 2017, it is a time of reflection, of letting go, and moving forward. My 2016 was a season of restlessness- a feeling that something was not quite right. There’s something about the fifth decade of life that causes you to peer inside the closet of your heart, and begin to clean it out.   Simplifying, organizing, breathing. When you’re in the middle of this process, the spirit is anxious, wondering what comes next. Will the new season be a canvas of vibrant colors or a dry, grey etching? Here is what I am sure of as this new season called 2017 greets me:

1. I can try something new and it might work out. Or it might not. And it will be okay- I will be okay- either way.
2. Being comfortable in my own skin is a gift. Some of us unwrap it sooner than others, but it is a gift all the same.
3. Being present in the moment with my people takes practice, but it is so worth it.
4. Putting a period at the end of seasons of your life is not necessary; try a comma instead.
5. Being a woman in the fifth decade of life can be freeing, scary, and exciting all at the same time.
6. Dogs are always kinder than people and will never judge you.
7. Some of the greatest lessons come from enduring hard times, and endurance produces beauty.
8. I just don’t care what “they” think anymore- whoever “they” may be.
9. Sometimes it is best to hold words inside and release them later to our Heavenly Father.
10. It’s okay to be afraid, but go ahead and jump anyway.