Do you guys do this? You get so many ideas and lists and to dos going in your head, but each time one gets crossed off another dozen crop up. Cross those off, and somehow there are even more.
Or the list gets so long you just end up staring out the window.
That’s not just me, is it?
My brain is rotten. #fact
I recently downloaded this worksheet called “Loose Ends Brain Dump 2016.” The goal of the sheet is to get everything out of your head that’s rattling around and down onto paper. It’s a simple list, but on the right side of each line are four circles: Completed, Scheduled, Recorded, and–this one knocked my socks off–Let go.
Let go.
Dogs serve as amazing role models for that, don’t they?
So, let go. That’s sort of the theme, the concept that’s swirling around in my head right now. 2016 was a shit year, I think for many of us, and I’m ready to let go. Move on. Make progress.
It’s fashionable this last week of the year for bloggers to recap the preceding year… but I kinda don’t wanna.
It feels anti-let-go.
This is also anti-let-go but in a fun way:
I will say that my top posts this year have been consistent. Every single week, the most trafficked posts are the posts I’ve shared about Cooper’s head tremors, indoor activities for winter boredom, and the recent DIY bitter apple spray.
As much I love telling stories and strive to be a storyteller in this space, I’m thrilled to be able to provide a service to those people who are looking for answers. I hope my work helps!
All that said, my plan for 2017 is to let go of five things:
- Let go of training goals designed to “make” Cooper more comfortable doing things I want him to do (like, going out in public…) and focus instead on training that makes him happy and improves our bond. And running. Lots more running.
- Let go of feeling sad when Emmett falls and focus instead on gratitude that he’s here and he’s happy.
- Let go of those super long lists that never get any smaller. (Honestly, this is a pipe dream. But. I’ll try?)
- Let go of wasting time scrolling and refreshing the internet and focus instead on time with my family.
- Let go of guilt for missing the mark on any of the above. Well. Try to. Or think about it, anyway.
Not much of a year-end recap, eh? 🙂
I’ll be back next week with stories and more! We have some big news coming in 2017, plus I want to share some of the details about points 1 and 2 above… running and training with Coop, Emmett’s acupuncture, and so on.
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed like I have, I encourage you to make a “Let Go” list, too. See if that alleviates some of the burden.
Or, share here: What do YOU plan to let go of for 2017?
It’s only two days away…
Cheers to a New Year, and I’ll see ya in 2017!
I have to “let go” of trying to make Ducky instantly non-reactive. It’s not going to happen. I’ll continue helping her through stressful moments and situations; but she’s not going to become non-reactive just by my wishing it.
And, no, it’s NOT just you. ??
Those question marks were supposed to be a heart and a rolling-eyes emoji.
I’m very ready to leave this year behind. Happy New Year to you Maggie, and your beautiful family!
I have to let go of training frustrations, like how we’ve been working our tails off trying to get Ziva to be better about her nails. She HAS improved just not nearly as much as I wanted after working on it for the last year plus…but persistence and patience, with LOTS of love and I keep hoping we’ll get there someday!
Happy new years to you guys! I think I’ve gotten better at letting go but writing it all out definitely helps me.
Yeah – writing is one of my favorite ways of letting to of frustration. I highly recommend it to my close friends.
I plan on letting go of some pre-processed food for my dog as I don’t believe it’s healthy for him in the long run.
Happy New Year to you guys! 🙂
/ Adam – The Doggy Institute
Those are good goals for the upcoming year. I hope you accomplish some/much of them. I think I need some help in this department as well and your post serves as a great reminder of such. Happy new year, Maggie, to you and your whole crew.
These sound like good goals for you. I think Cooper will appreciate the focus being on what he wants. The only lists I’m successful with are my grocery and Christmas shopping, and half the time I forget them at home. Yesterday I inadvertently deleted my entire inbox. So I’ve just let it go, here’s to a clean slate and practically list free 2017!
It is easy to become overwhelmed with our “to-do” lists so that we forget our “to-live” list. Have a wonderful 2017 ?
I love this post! I don’t think I can let go of lists either – they’re the only thing that keeps me from forgetting stuff! But I can let go of worrying about whether everything gets crossed off those lists.
It’s tough to let go of trying to make a dog into what you wanted and hoped they’d be. Luke was supposed to be our “go everywhere, do everything with us” dog, and he’s turned out to be just the opposite. I don’t want to let go completely of trying with him – but I want to let go of expectations that he might never live up to.
It took me a long time to accept my own limitations, and to know that I can only push myself so far. In many ways Luke is just like my – shy and introverted and mostly happy to be at home. But neither one of us should miss out on at least some things that are important. I’ll never be a social butterfly, going to parties, etc., but I will push myself to go to BlogPaws.
Luke may never go to the dog park….but maybe one day he could compete in nose works. We’ll work towards that, but if we don’t make it, that’s OK too.
Letting go of guilt? That is probably the toughest of all, but thanks for the reminder that we can at least try. 🙂
I love that so much, Jan. Letting go of guilt is HUGE. It’s such an unnecessary and heavy weight to carry around.You do an amazing job, and you’re such a kind, supportive friend. I wish you all good things for letting go of any guilt you have.