2019: A Year in Review
Each year, we send out Christmas cards with a short “year in review” included on the back. The practice of hitting “pause” and summarizing our year in a short paragraph has been an important practice for me. I’m challenged to not just list the good or the bad, but to share a theme that we found present in our story all through the year. Our word for 2019 was “favor” and we were encouraged to intentionally focus on the ways God showed up for our family when we least expected it. It was like a game for us, searching for favor, which often times looked like good parking spaces or free appetizers at a restaurant, but sometimes looked like hidden gift cards or extra side-work or connections with strangers that encouraged us in our own journey. In 2019, favor was abundant, we just had to learn how to see it.
At the beginning of December, we shared that we were taking a step back in business and on social media for the month of December and shifting our focus from starting to finishing. As a strong hustler, it took longer than I would have preferred for me to admit that our family needed this break. We’ve just come up on a year since the formal start of our business and even less time since we’ve been incorporating side-work into our regular routine.
And we were tired.
We had been living at this pace where it felt like we were constantly maintaining our life without giving pause to determine whether or not this pace is actually something that allows our family to flourish. And as we start to wrap up the month of December, naturally I’ve started to think back on the past year with reflection and of course, in true A. Sider fashion, put it all in a list.
Here are ten of the other things, that I learned in 2019 (in no particular order).
Sometimes, working with your spouse will be the highlight of your day and you’ll question if you ever want to do anything else.
Sometimes, working with your spouse will be the hardest part of your day and you’ll question why you’re doing this and not something else.
You won’t always have the affirmation of others when starting something new. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t work that God has called you into. Look to God for direction and go from there.
There will be some things that you won’t be able to fix or change. Accept that reality and let it go. And sometimes you’ll have to let it go over and over again. Just keep practicing.
Watching your kiddo grow up will make your heart swell in the best way. Don’t be surprised if everything else feels pointless as a result.
Without warning, life will throw major curveballs. Find your own home team and make sure you are on someone else’s roster.
Holding on to hope is really important. Sometimes you need to do it for yourself, but more often you’ll need to do it on behalf of others. Get good at it.
Saying “no” is really important when creating boundaries, but make sure to say “yes” often too. Create opportunities to indulge in your hard work.
Celebrate all.the.things. It’s too easy to gloss over achievements or answered prayers and head right into the next thing. Bask in the glory of hard work and make space for celebration.
It’s ok to love more than one thing and even be good at more than one thing. Motherhood, photography, writing, home design, owning a business, etc. I can hold love for all of these things at once without feeling the need to choose and go all in on just one. Be yourself. Do what you love. Stay curious.
So there you have it. A short and sweet list of a few things that are fresh in my mind as we wrap up another year. Hoping you find space in the upcoming days to reflect on your own year and refocus on the themes that are waiting for you in 2020.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
<3 The Siders