Over the precious 16 days of Winter Break, I had a light bulb moment. We all have a vision in our heads of what should be, what our life should look like. We work to achieve that vision. What we don't always see is how that vision is actually hurting the bigger picture. There comes a point where we just have to say, "Enough". I've done it in my personal life. I have moved away from toxic people. I have taken breaks from people who make me feel bad. I have stopped doing things I don't enjoy just because I thought they were expected of me. I've said no to things that weren't making me happy. Yet, for my family, I still had a vision and kept forcing certain things on everyone to create that perfect vision. After the light bulb, I'm done with that.
Our family has never fit into a certain picture. We are all very independent. We are very active. We are a unit. We have expectations. I see how people don't understand us. I guess we don't fit into others' visions. And I finally see that's alright. What that means is that I'm taking a step. It's a sideways step. I'm looking at the situation from a different angle. For the first time, over break, I really saw what me trying to fit us all into a perfect vision was doing to each family member. The moment I let it go and looked at things from a different angle, everyone was happier. We made choices that we good for all of us, the four of us, instead of other people.
After that moment, I stated to take a step in other areas of my life. By taking a step sideways, I can better see if I need to take a step back, or forward, or away, or maybe step back on the same path. It's amazing the things you can see when you just look at it from a different way. There are definitely things I am stepping away from, but there are also things I'm going towards. Every journey starts with a step. It doesn't matter which direction that step is, as long as you are on the path you want to take. If you aren't, step in a different direction. Some steps are easier than others. Sometimes we take baby steps. Sometimes we leap. What I learned is that sometimes it's important to everyone around you that you take a step to look and make sure you're on the path you want to be on and helping those important to you on the path they want to be on.