OK, guys. I’ve had to pray and think long (several days!) and hard about this, but I know what my resolution for the month of March is going to be. I got a little panicked last week when I realized that February was a short month and that I was completely unprepared for March being literally just around the corner. Luckily, God was there for me in a pinch, so it’s all good.

But before we get into March, I thought we could talk about how February went. In case you’ve forgotten (or never knew to begin with), the month of February was all about treating my body like the temple of the Holy Spirit that it is. This included abiding by a list of seven guidelines regarding rest, relaxation, nutrition, and exercise found here. And honestly, you guys, it went pretty well!

Now, I’d be lying to you if I said that I did perfectly for the entire month, and followed all of my guidelines to a T. I’m not superhuman. (I know…the illusion’s been shattered.) But for the most part, I did pretty well. In fact, I was kind of shocked by the things that I thought would be super difficult that ended up being fairly easy and vice versa. For example, eating real food for the whole month turned out not to be that hard. We had to cut back almost completely on going out to eat and I didn’t indulge in all of the free food my work regularly offers (the Krispy Kreme doughnuts yesterday were probably the hardest part of that), but other than that, we found that we already ate pretty healthfully. I was as shocked as you are!

One cup of coffee per day was painfully and surprisingly difficult. I had no idea that I almost NEVER regularly consume just one cup of coffee per sitting, let alone per day. I had to be pretty strategic in my planning for the day. For instance, if I knew I was going to have a work event where they would provide Peet’s coffee, I’d forgo my morning cup of jo during my quiet time and opt for tea instead. Although, I will say, I forgot about a networking event that I was supposed to have yesterday and accidentally drank my coffee in the morning. It was a pretty traumatic experience. We’re talking doughnuts, sugar cookies, cupcakes, and coffee…all for the taking and simultaneously not for the taking. I’ve found it’s difficult to talk to people when you’re salivating over their food. But somehow I prevailed.

The exercise aspect started off really well, but as the month went on, my schedule got busier and busier. I know that workout enthusiasts will tell me that if it was important to me, I would make time for it. To those people I say, here is my planner. Have at it…All in all, though, I fit most of my workouts in, so I’m calling that a win.

Taking a daily vitamin proved to be much more difficult on the weekends, when I don’t have as much of a set morning routine. Also, why are Women’s One-A-Day vitamins the size of horse pills. It’s like a game of Russian Roulette every morning. Will I choke on my vitamin today? Will I not?

Observing the Sabbath was one of the guidelines that I thought would be near impossible, but turned out not to be that bad. I mean, all it really requires is making better use of my time and not procrastinating all of my tasks until Sunday. So I just did everything on Saturday instead…Revolutionary, I know.

Stressing less was and always will be a struggle for me, but I did remember to pray more often about my anxiety than I normally do. I also kept a journal with me at my desk, so that whenever I felt weighed down by worry, I would write it down in a prayer to God and look up bible verses that spoke against those anxious thoughts.

And finally: sleep. I was a PRO at this one. Sleeping is one of my all-time favorite pastimes, so I had no trouble getting adequate (7-8 hours) sleep each night. If nothing else, we know that God’s temple is well-rested…

OK, so now let’s get to the part that everyone’s waiting to hear about. (I can only assume you are giddy with anticipation.) March. So here goes: For each of the 31 days in March, I will focus on a different person and pray for them throughout the day as often as possible. Sounds simple enough, right? Wellllll, I have a feeling it’s not going to be all that easy. You see, while my list includes the obvious people, David, my family, close friends, it also includes people I’m not entirely fond of and, while I know we’re supposed to pray for our enemies, that is one of those big-time ‘easier said than done’ sort of things for me. You may be surprised to learn this, but I am a terribly flawed person. (Your jaw just hit the floor, I know.) And one of my greatest flaws is that I am REALLY good at holding a grudge. I mean, really good. I am your textbook example of easy to injure, slow to forgive. When I’ve been wronged by someone, even if unintentionally, I hold onto those bitter feelings for far too long. So praying for people I don’t like or who’ve hurt me is exceptionally difficult because, in my mind, when I pray, I want good things to come to those I pray for. And well, if I’m being honest, I don’t usually want good things for my enemies. (It just got REAL up in here.)

So, you see now why March will not just be rainbows, sunshine, and unicorns for me. But I’ve committed to it. I’ve made my list (which I will not be sharing here) and I plan to spend as much time each day praying for the person assigned to that day. I’ve gone easy on myself and started the month off with David. And lucky for him, he gets ‘Women’s Retreat Chelsea.’ She’s very spiritual and constantly in prayer and worship, so he should definitely feel blessings raining down on him tomorrow (also, actual rain will probably rain down on him tomorrow).

Anyway, I hope that as I’m on this journey over the next 31 days, you will keep me in your prayers and hold me accountable. I will need all the help I can get.

Thanks for reading and have a happy weekend staying dry (unless puddle-jumping is your thing).