Every year I make a photo album to reflect what the year was about–what we did, who we spent time with, what our life looked like. Without fail, it never comes close to reflecting what the year actually looked like. Instead, it has the trip photos, rare gatherings with out-of-town guests and maybe a snapshot of an activity we did.
Right now I feel like I’m in a make or break moment. But am I really? Is this a big moment or is this just like all of the other little ones?
So much of life isn’t lived in the big moments. Those may be the times that you caught a photo or you are acknowledged for it, but it isn’t what got you to where you are today. It’s the little every day, seemingly no-big-deal decisions that propel you forward in the direction you’re going.
What I wore in my 5th grade class photo or what major I chose in college doesn’t define me now. Not even moving across the country or my wedding day, those monumental, meaningful days, truly define right now. They have an impact, absolutely. But it wasn’t my wedding day that made me a good wife. It’s not my location that makes me a part of a community. It’s not having a major in journalism that makes me a writer. (And thankfully my sense of style was not solidified in elementary school.)
It’s waking up every morning saying, I love you and making a daily commitment to my marriage. It’s being a friend and a presence with the people around me that makes me a part of this community. It’s sitting down and writing several times a week that makes me a writer.
It’s how you spend your days–those long days of effort and dedication in the little moments. The hourly, daily, weekly decisions may seem insignificant, but that’s what most shapes your life over time.
