Simplificationator

I find it hard sometimes to explain energy and motivation. I often wonder where my energy comes from some days. At the most inconvenient moments I feel unmotivated and vice versa.

So, now is the perfect time right? The beginning of a new year, everyone has their shiney new goals in place with oh so much potential...and...they are motivated. I will admit it's a great energy. The only spoiler is, it dies down and the cycle continues. The good news is...people are good at cycles. Maybe because they know what's going to happen, it's a kind of security. Even if it's a negative cycle people often times get stuck in them because, well, circles are circles. Sometimes the opening, the out isn't as evident, especially if we aren't looking for it. This doesn't make me feel anymore motivated though :).

I have certain reminders, mental snapshots, experiences, and people that do give me energy and motivate me to get through the day while still seeing the big picture of what's really important. One of those is a recent experience I had in Mexico. I was honestly expecting to go to Mexico, teach a class or two, play soccer with the kids, eat some tacos, sleep on the beach and drive home. That's it. Ha..I was wrong.

The first night I was there I was sitting by the 8ft. Christmas tree outside, and I realized I hadn't been to the nursery. No one had. Everyone had been playing with the older kids at the orphanage. I walked up and knocked on the door where the smaller kids live. An older lady shouted at me to come in. There were about 6 little kids just sitting on the floor playing with broken toys. I'm not trying to paint this sad picture, they were actually smiling and laughing, and they couldn't have cared less that they were broken. They played with the same enthusiasm that my nieces and nephews played when they opened their brandnew toys on Christmas. For some reason there was one little girl that caught my eye. I wish I could say there was a reason she did. Like she was just the cutest one there, or she ran to me right as I walked in, or maybe something more tragic. Nope, none of those, and it is completely unexplainable, but she did.

She always reached up for my face and would turn my chin toward her so that she knew I would see her smile.

There are 500,000 orphans (give or take) in Mexico and only 98 of those were adopted by Americans this past year. So, basically I have a chance. A small chance, but a chance nonetheless. :) ha.

I've been around plenty of kids and many of them don't have parents. I just don't know why she's so different.

So for now, I keep a smile from her in my mind and it motivates me.

It's experiences, like this, that are so unexpected, but they have a familiarity about them. It makes me realize that Heavenly Father really does bless us with exactly what we need.

Time has flown and it's only a month before I go back. In the meantime I will keep busy and try to hold to my only New Years resolution. Simplify.

...just to list a few other sources of recent motivation for me...
Yep. There's more, but three is a good number.