The Year of Scout

For a little over a year now there's been a shift in my psyche. A shift that I'd encourage everyone to adapt into their lives as well. And that shift is that if I'm unhappy with a situation then I do everything within my power to distance myself from it.

2016 has already been a pretty less than shiny year so far, but some of the reasons why it's been shit have been my fault completely. It won't be that way any longer. 

While I resist the urge to form a protective bubble around our incredible family and refuse to ever leave the house again (as of right now it's Monday and I haven't left since Friday, save for going to Sonic a few times) I am thinking about things in our lives that shape us.

Relationships. Jobs. Whether we decide to eat that fifth cookie from the package or not, therefore expanding our waist lines just a teensy bit more. All of these things make us who we are. 

Have you guys ever watched "The Middle"? If not I highly recommend it.

My favorite person on "The Middle" is Sue Heck. 

This is Sue Heck. Eternal optimist, feminist, hard worker, and bad ass bitch who takes shit from no one. 

Sue Heck should be everyone's hero. She declared last year to be, and I quote, "the year of Sue". The year when everything would go her way, even if she had to force its hand. The year when life dealt her blow after blow and she never gave up. 

Okay, Sue. Teach me. This will be the year of Scout. 

First step? Turn in resignation to focus more on my family and writing. If something else comes along that requires less stress and time out of my life when I'm not actually at work? Well, I'll cross that bridge if we come to it. 

Next step? State budget cuts, bullies, and priority shifting means we're considering bringing the kids back home to learn in the next school year. This is the year when I will become more organized.

This is the year when I will say, "I love you but no, I don't want to go do that thing tonight."

This is the year when someone will ask, "How are you?" and I will actually do my best to answer sincerely, honestly, and with a little less cynicism. 

This is the year when I will take longer showers, watch awful TV without feeling like I need to apologize for it, buy the super fuzzy warm socks that won't break our budget because they're less than 5 dollars, and feel a little less ridiculous when I do my idiotic Yoda impression just to make my kids laugh.

Come at me, 2016. I'm gonna slay you.