a new year brings with it hopes and dreams to pass , as well as an excitement of what is to come . After the whole 2020 COVID experience , people are ready to begin again and start fresh .

I was thinking about how many things we all go through from day to day and I am reminded that no problem has ever been too big to overcome , and how worry and anxiety can only destroy who we are meant to be . Each day we are given a choice to give in to the pressures of life and all that comes with it , or take a stand to become better . The focus here becomes the choice that you will make .

I am sure most of you at some point or another have been walking along , minding your own business , when all of a sudden you felt you have stepped in something that you knew wasn ’ t good , most likely a form of some sort of animal waste , gum , or any other substance you would have liked to avoid . And for the rest of your walk you continue to look down to make sure it doesn ’ t happen again . But while looking down continually , you may not see what ’ s ahead .

Here is a true story . I was walking along a trail when I was a kid , and sure enough , I stepped in a big pile of dog poo . It was all over my shoe and I was very upset . I tried to use a stick and leaves to get it off . I remember being mad at myself for not seeing it . After the incident , I continued to walk down the same trail , but this time I kept my head down focusing where I would step – no more dog poop incidents for me !

All of that was great until a tree came up that I did not see and I whacked my head into a rather large branch , cutting my head open and ruining my new shirt from the blood stains that dripped on it . To make matters worse , as I headed back home I thought I would walk off the path to avoid trees and poo , only to contact poison ivy .

What am I getting at , you might ask ? Well , here it is , plain and simple . When you focus on the problem , you cause yourself to lose view of a solution or even another pitfall . I was so focused on where I was walking , I couldn ’ t see the danger ahead . The truth is we all step in something at one point or another ; that ’ s just life .

Although you may have had bad breaks , I am urging you to not let that define or defeat you . It ’ s so easy to lose focus and fall in to the traps of this world , but what I want you to know is that you won ’ t step in poo every day , and you won ’ t have the tree whack you in the head every day either . Could it happen ? Sure it could , but if you walk around afraid and anxious about everything , I can promise you it will cause more issues than you could ever want .

Every day brings with it a gift that we can either open and enjoy or store away for some day that may never come . We are not to live for someday , but for today . If you wait for everything to be perfect to start enjoying and living your life , you never will . That ’ s just truth , and the real deal is that you are responsible for you and your choices on how you live . Stop intentionally trapping yourself by the wrong actions , attitudes and behaviors and start living a life worth living .

When you step in the crap , just keep stepping and know it won ’ t stay on that shoe for long . As always , the choice is yours to make .

January 2021

Email Tommy at tommyd @ dragillustrated . com

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