Although I believe we can choose to make a life change in a moment, like many of us, I see the beginning of the new year as an opportunity for goal setting and new year's resolutions.  This year, I decided to embark on a 52 Week Self-Improvement Plan.  Don't laugh!  I knew there were at least 52 ways I could be better.  I didn't take a lot of time to "plan the plan" and instead I just wrote down 52 things (one new task a week) I would like to do that would possibly improve my way of being in the world.  Some are fun and shouldn't be difficult, like "Give 7 Compliments," "Get Up Half an Hour Earlier Everyday," and "Do A Different Kind of Puzzle Everyday."  Others are more challenging like:  "Speak Only Positively for a Week," and "No Sarcasm or Self-Deprecation or Negative Self-Talk for a Week."

I started with something hard:  "List 7 Hurts and Let Them Go."  What surprised me was at first all I could think about was the ways in which I had hurt myself.  The list was long.  When I made this one of my weekly tasks, I was quite sure I would write about the ways that other people had hurt me - you don't get to be a woman with a life-long disability without enduring some pretty big hurts - but that was not how I began, and those were not the hurts that gave me the most pain.  The deepest hurts were within myself, where I least expected them to be.  And when I was done, I let them go.  The letting go was not nearly as difficult as I imagined it would be, not once after the honest, soul-bearing list was written down.  It was a beautiful thing.  On this day, February 12th, the Bell-sponsored Let's Talk About Mental Health Day, I have to wonder how many of us swallow our own hurts and what that is doing to us, mentally, physically, and spiritually. At any rate, we need to swallow less and talk more, and there needs to be more avenues and supports available for us to do that.  You can learn more about the day at:  http://letstalk.bell.ca.  For every:
Text message sent^, Long distance call made^*Tweet using #BellLetsTalk, and Facebook share of  Bell Let's Talk image, Bell will donate 5¢ more to help fund mental health initiatives across Canada.
wishing you beauty,
Heather