Always & Forever: 2013

Dear Cherish,

I've never been good at New Years Resolutions. I'm good at writing them. Excellent in fact. But by the time March rolls around, they are lost or forgotten, buried beneath responsibilities and daily doings. This year I decided to do something different. Something I believe will help me grow and actually accomplish my goals.

I've split the year into four quarters. I'm setting goals for each quarter. Things I want to accomplish within a three month time frame. That way, I can check my progress, change any goals I need to, and then grow more. By the time I reach the third month, some of my goals will have become habits, and then I'll be able to grow even more from the next goals I set for myself. I think an entire year for a few goals was overwhelming to me, and I couldn't take seriously. Now, I have my 3 months in the future self to answer to, and that helps me stay motivated. I applaud you for your intentions for the new year. Especially running a marathon. I have always hated running. I can't. Which is why my resolutions for the first quarter look like this:

January 2013 - March 2013

1. Make Yoga a daily practice.

2. Take care of my body.

3. Pray daily.

4. Read scriptures daily.

5. Complain less.

6. Bring happiness to those whose lives I touch.

7. Do my best at everything I attempt.

8. Learn as much Italian as I can.

9. Remain optimistic.

10. Live a life worth living; no regrets.

And that's what my next 3 months look like. I'm hoping that come March I can be a much better person and have succeeded in these 10 resolutions. I'll let you know how it goes. One resolution that isn't listed, but that I will be working toward every day is letting go of the past. I've been hanging onto a past that is poisonous and painful. It's been permeating my life for far too long, hanging like a mist, haunting every relationship I could ever hope to have, but now, I feel like it's time to let go. I'm ready.

Here's to a great year, and I hope you live up to your potential too!

Always & Forever,

Kate

Dearest Kate,

On the corner of 5th East, sits is a lovely white house. Three story, maybe twenty years old, black shutters, a defiant red door. My mother has whispered painting that old white door for years and years and years, until one day, as I pulled my suitcase up the front steps, there it was. Red as a holly berry of Christmas. That's just my mother though; "It is a law of the Universe, Rachael Cherish, visualize something, anything, and it will undoubtedly come to you."
And I never did, doubt her I mean, as it isn't hard to believe someone when you grow up in their magic. She was warm sugar cookies on rainy days, a book beside the local pool, days spent in the crystal blue of the water, a piece of chocolate slipped into our waiting hands during an extra long church meeting. The rocking chair of our porch swayed beneath my small sneakers as I watched the flowers blossom under the melodic sound of her voice, blending beautifully with the sweet scent of summer. "The flowers can hear", she taught with a knowing smile.

So when he asked what i'd like to do last night,
"Can we visualize 2013? I think I am a little too afraid of it."
After bundling up in blankets, warm socks, and filling our bellies with steaming macaroni and cheese, we melted into the couch and spent the rest of the evening scratching out ideas and searching for pictures to represent our individual dreams for the upcoming year.

I won't be sharing his with you, but here is what we came up with for me.

1. On June the sixth, I will be running 26.2 miles with my older brother and dearest friend Joshua Calvin. This has always been a dream of mine, and I can't think of a better time to make it a reality.

Early morning runs before 8:00 Chemistry.

Green Smoothies for Breakfast. Lots of protein and water.

2. Find an inner peace through a renewed confidence in myself.

Take time to be alone. Let go of stress. Live in each moment.

Become a leader, of virtue and courage. Find joy in the little things.

3. Embrace Change. Hold those I love even closer to my heart, and find a way to allow my heart to grow and make room for those I will meet.

This may sound like somewhat of a strange goal, but it is something very personal to me that I have desperately struggled with this past semester. Subconsciously, I left for College with the idea in my head that this heart of mine was full to the brim, I felt as though if I were to let someone new in, I would be kicking someone old out. It took me what seems like an eternity to realize what was holding me back, but now feel confident that with the help of my Father in Heaven, my capacity to love will be greatly increased.