I spent New Year’s Eve at home puking my guts up. And I was pretty thankful for that.
One of my biggest downfalls is living in regret. I say “I wish I would have <done this or done that>” or “I should have…” more times than I care to admit. It drives my husband crazy. I don’t blame him. It drives me crazy too.
So the second I booked our flight back from Ontario a couple days early, I had instant regret. I should have stayed longer so I could have seen my friends who were in town. I wish I booked the Sunday flight because the one I booked was almost sold out and we were flying standby. As usual, I was filled with worry and anxiety over a simple decision I made. My sister in law gave me a big hug and reassured me that everything was going to work out.
Turns out that just enough people missed their flight that we got on, we all had seats together, the flight left on time, and we were home with the kids in bed by 8pm. The day could not have gone more smoothly.
The next day, (the day I had regretted not booking the flight for) Linden and Lucia got sick at the exact same time and kept throwing up throughout the night. Then it was my turn. I haven’t been that sick in a long time. I spent New Year’s Eve in bed all day long and was back asleep at 7:30pm, the same time as the kids.
Instead of being upset that my New Year’s was ruined, I was truly so grateful! Why was I grateful that I was in bed with the flu on NYE? Because I was in my bed. I didn’t get hit with the flu while I was vacationing in Ontario, or even worse, while I was on the plane. I was so thankful my husband wasn’t sick (yet) and had been so good to me all day, letting me get my rest while he looked after two sick kids, and didn’t once complain about it. In the end, I was grateful I trusted my gut and booked the flight home early.
One of my goals for the new year is to trust my gut, stick with my decisions and not to live with regret. I will try to focus on the positive, instead of being consumed by the negative or things I cannot control. The very last day of 2018 taught me an important lesson – “If you can’t change your circumstances, change your perspective”