What Is Your Intent?

It’s the end of March, and the days are just starting to feel warmer, although there is a definite chill in the night air. Ten days ago, the first official day of spring was a glorious one that ended with a magnificent full moon, and here in Georgia, delicate cherry blossoms adorn the trees everywhere you look. I love the way they float through the air, leaving gentle blankets of pink and white on the ground. It always amazes me that such a fragile, little flower is the first to bloom in early spring when the weather is still so unpredictable and can turn on us at any time.

Tonight, I’m sitting on my back porch under an array of stars and looking forward to the days ahead. Tomorrow morning, The Greatest Kid On The Planet and I will hit the road and head farther south to one of our favorite places where we’ll spend a week in the sand and the sun and the surf doing all the things we love with our favorite people. It’s going to be the best Spring Break ever. But we say that every year.

A short time ago, I was talking with a friend about new beginnings and how fast time goes by, the things we plan at the beginning of each new year, and the New Year’s resolutions that have already come and gone. It seems we begin each year by setting new expectations and standards to live by, and it made me wonder for a moment why we do that to ourselves.

This same friend is contemplating a new venture that will take her in a different direction, and I’m excited for the amazing things I see in her future. But I also understand the twinge of fear she expressed that comes with stepping out into something new and leaving behind what’s familiar. We’ve all been there and felt it; when the excitement we feel at all that’s to come is overshadowed by our hesitation and the questions we ask ourselves.

I remember when I was a kid, and I would spend my days running through the woods, riding my bike down the middle of the road, and playing outside with friends long after dark. I was never worried. And then I grew older and graduated high school and went off to college far away from home, and I didn’t give it a second thought. Even then, I wasn’t afraid. I was excited about everything that was in front of me.

I suppose life teaches us lessons along the way that make us slow down and look at things with a different perspective and a wariness we didn’t possess when we were younger.

In a couple of months, the Greatest Kid will finish his first year of middle school. It seems like just yesterday I was writing about his first day, and now, before we know it, it will be his last. And then we will spend a whirlwind of a summer in the sun and the surf, with friends and with family, and then, again, back on the football field.

Often, we hear it said we should live life to the fullest and make the most of each day. But how do we keep the days from getting away from us and accomplish what we want when it all goes by so fast?

Already, it’s almost the first of April, and here we are, again, exchanging one season for another and moving forward into something new. It’s almost daunting. My mantra for this year has been a simple one that keeps me grounded and present in each moment as the days fly by. Each morning, when I wake up, after I give thanks for all that is natural, infinite, and yes, I remind myself to live my day with intent.

I believe we all have our own personal power whether we exercise it or not. There is a myriad of things surrounding us each day that we cannot control. But we can control where our thoughts wander, how we feed negative thoughts and emotions (we all have them), the things we accept, and the way we allow others to treat us.

We are also in control of the decisions we make and how we move forward at each stage in our life, and I believe we can make the choice to change our direction at any time. It’s what I call adjusting my internal compass. I believe we are continually evolving and recreating ourselves, and we can always make the decision to better ourselves or to change something about the way we’re living. And I believe we should. Whether we decide to move in a slightly different direction or to an entirely new hemisphere, we shouldn’t be afraid to step away from where we were and into where we want to be.

I think this is the difference between living life and letting life happen to us. We often lose track of our days when we simply follow along and forget to be mindful of what we want for ourselves. There is a difference between being content and remaining stuck and stagnant in a place that doesn’t fulfill us. This is something I’ve thought about a great deal lately and a conversation I seem to have with so many.

Often, changing our direction can seem unnerving, even frightening, but it is only impossible if we believe it is. I think the most important part of living the life we want is deciding what we intend for ourselves. I do believe thoughts become things, and that we can and should intentionally align our thoughts and actions with what we desire, regardless of our doubts and fears, or what we may have experienced in the past.

Maybe it is true that, as we get older, there is more at risk. And maybe there is more to lose. Or maybe we’re just making excuses.

I have an unshakable faith in the Universe and the One who created it, and that faith has gotten me through my darkest days. I believe everything turns out the way it’s supposed to, and as I look back through the slide show of my life, I can see how this has always been true. I believe if I purposely set my sights on my intentions, then the outcome will take care of itself. It’s simply my job to keep moving forward.

Each day and every season is a new adventure, and it can look any way we want it to. Right now, I’m content to sit on my back porch and look at the stars and contemplate tomorrow. It seems as if the brand new leaves dancing on the trees in front of me appeared overnight, and it occurs to me that maybe we should take our cue from Mother Nature.

Today was a beautiful early spring day here in the South, but the chilly air is coming back to Georgia, and tomorrow night, the temperature will be near freezing again. But the trees don’t seem to mind. Today, they were as lovely as can be and untroubled by what lies ahead. I suppose each spring they could wait until the middle of April when the danger has passed before displaying their treasures, but we would miss out on so much. And I, for one, am glad they don’t wait. Instead, each year, at the end of March, they simply decide it’s time to bloom. And then they do.

M.C. Greene

P.S. Looking Forward