Backwards N High Heels

Balancing work and play while wearing many hats (I mean heels).

My 2020 Intentions

Sharing my New Year's Intentions

I know, it is no longer New Year’s eve or day. And with that, I also understand that resolutions and self-proclamations of what the changing year means to me or what I will set forth practicing are now a few days late.

Given the content of this post, you may think it was intentional for me to share these thoughts with you after the fact, but I can assure you that it was not the case.

The reality is, it actually makes me quite sad to see the pressure we put on ourselves just because it is a new year.

Yes, the new year can symbolize a fresh start and clean slate, but it can also create extreme strain to make ourselves better for the wrong reasons. And that stresses me out more than not having a resolution.

Speaking of resolutions, I don’t have one, and I have not practiced having one for many years. Instead, my perspective has shifted on setting intentions. Gone are the days of creating a resolution for the sake of one and failing miserably by mid-January. I like intentions because they are by definition a plan. Things will change, just as plans do. The idea is that I will focus on change in a kind and loving way, which allows me the grace in case I fail along the way.

This year my intentions are as follows:

  • Be kinder. Maybe it is picking up a coffee for the person next to me in line, or in the manner in which I communicate with my children. It could be taking a moment and making a conscious effort to comment positively on a post someone shared on their social media or trying to practice empathy when dealing with others.
  • Listen to the God whispers. Have you ever had a nagging to do something for a stranger? Or possibly compliment the person sitting next to you at an appointment? Or maybe there is a constant calling that keeps you awake at night or may even be the thing that nudges you out of bed each morning. I call these God whispers and I want to make an effort to listen intently and act responsibly.
  • Simplify. We accumulate stuff in all aspects of our life. My closets are full of things. I have old purses that need to be cleaned. My email has over 300+ unread emails. I follow way too many people on my social media that don’t bring value or joy to my day. All of this stuff is unnecessary noise. I want to clear the clutter and strip myself of all the junk that weighs me down.
  • Stop putting myself last. How can we be our best to others if we are not our best for ourselves? I say this intent with the least amount of selfishness one possibly can. I need to start listening to my body and relax when it calls me to. I need to start feeling my emotions and taking a moment to breathe and meditate when I feel overwhelmed. I need to make my passions more of a priority so I can experience the joys that make me happy. I need to allow myself the grace to feel like I am as important as those I care for.
  • Start living. I know that sounds strange to read because it felt odd to write but ever since becoming a mom all I have done is go, go, go. For years I have been on the move, bouncing from one thing to the next, feeling the need to accomplish a task and then set my mind on what is next. I want to slow down and live. I need to stop cramming my life into the weekends which makes them extra busy and crazy. I want to put the phone down, slow down, and focus my head and attention to the present, living in the moment, and enjoying the beauty of life.

May God bless you all in 2020, and may you each take a moment to embrace this natural season of change with less pressure and more grace.

Top Blog Posts of 2017

2017. Wow. Can you believe we are here starring at 2018? It is so hard to grasp how quickly time moves.

While I don’t want to say 2017 was a bad year because I know the good outweighs all the bad, and I am blessed for another year of life and everything and every day in between, 2017 has indeed been a very hard and challenging year.

I started this Top Blog Posts recap in 2015. Basically, I pull all my blog stats and see which posts generated the most views for the year. So the results below are because of you and your readership and support.

And, while we are at it, let’s talk about you, dear friend. I come to this space time and time again to share pieces and snippets of my life in hopes that one blog post or one line from a blog post would start to fix a broken heart, mend a worn spirit, ease a worried mind, or make even the most exhausted of parents chuckle.

You are not alone. We are not alone, and that is the point of Backwards N High Heels. To share how our lives while every so different, can also offer glimpses of ever the same.

I thank you for continuing to come to this space. For believing in me and heck, maybe even enjoying a thing or two I say. May God bless each of you as we wind down 2017 and enter 2018.

10 – Top 10 Reasons Living With a Toddler is Like Living With a Drunk Person
Top10ReasonsLivingWithAToddlerIsLikeLivingWithADrunkPerson_BestBlogPostOf2017

9 – My New Season With God
MyNewSeasonWithGod
8 – In Sickness and In Health
InSicknessAndInHealth_BestPostsOf2017

7 – Change
Change_BestBlogPostOf20176 – God’s Grace and Prayers
GodsGraceAndPrayers_BestPostsOf2017
5 – I Wish For My Daughter
IWishForMyDaughter_BestBlogPostsof20174 – We Swore We Would Never Become Our Mothers
WeSworeWeWouldNeverBecomeOurMothers_BestPostsof2017

3 – Great Wolf Lodge – Williamsburg, VA
Great-Wolf-Lodge_Williamsburg-VA_BackwardsNHighHeels_BestBlogPostsof2017
2 – I Failed At Parenting
IFailedAtParenting_BackwardsNHighHeels-Blog_BestBlogPostof2017
1 – This Part of our Story
ThisPartOfOurStory_BestBlogPost0f2017
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Day 22

Day 22Day 22

It hit me this morning. It is day 22 of the new year, and we are three weeks into 2017. Time has once again fleeted me. It has a sneaky way of doing such. Being so present yet silently avoiding me.

I did not choose a typical, straightforward resolution this year. I did not set myself up for the stress of fear of failure or the guilt of changing tides when I suddenly remember, oh I was to eat better and indulged in two coffees, a slice of birthday cake, two beers and three slices of pizza today. Gulp!

No, I decided instead of pushing myself into something for sake of 2017 replacing 2016 on every check I write, that I would choose a path of self focus and inner self waking.

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