The Year of the Flying Pig

A Brief Rant on New Beginnings, Being Hopeful, and Staying Open to Whatever Comes Next…

This week it’s my birthday. I love my birthday because I get another fresh start— and I love any chance for a fresh start! I found out that in the Chinese calendar this is the Year of the Pig, so this year I’ve decided to have my own personal new year: The Year of the Flying Pig.

Why? Well, first of all because it took me so long to get my act together after the holidays. Everyone else was pretty much already finished with their “Whole 30” before I even got started on my own New Year’s resolutions. So instead of feeling kind of lame about being so late to the starting line, I’ve simply co-opted someone else’s calendar, and moved it to my own birthday— which comes conveniently 2 months after the actual New Year, so… plenty of time to figure my shit out and be ready.

Secondly, I love the idea of a flying pig. Now, I’m from the Midwest, so I am well aware of what a real pig looks like. But I’m talking about a cute pig, the kind memorialized in cartoons everywhere. I’m talking about a flying Wilbur. (from Charlotte’s Web)

I’m talking about the pig that is the subject of the expression “When pigs fly…”. As in, “When pigs fly, I’ll sign up for Bumble”, or “When pigs fly, I’ll go on a vacation with my mother”, or “When pigs fly, I’ll go alone to a MeetUp.” Am I on the right track? Do any of these things sound like something you might say? 

The point is, I have finally come to realize that there is very little in life that I have a really good reason to resist. (Here’s where I remind my kids that “No, I will NEVER jump out of an airplane with you just because it’s fun!”) Skydiving aside, I have found that

The rewards of “jumping” are nearly always greater than the fear.

I have also found that the minute I judge someone for doing, saying, or being something in particular, I find that I am suddenly in the awkward position of doing, saying, or being something very similar to that myself. So I try not to judge. One of my personal mantras is “Never say never.” This is a lesson most of us have to learn the hard way—me included!

My own life has taken many significant turns. Careers, relationships, geography, you name it. I started out a math nerd and became a therapist. I thought I would hate Los Angeles but I have now lived here for 24 years and I love it. As a kid I loved reading and knitting and I was always chosen last for any athletic team (usually with good reason!). As an adult I am an athlete—a runner, a skier and a cyclist. And the list of my own flying pigs goes on.

What I know now is that I never actually knew what the future would hold, though sometimes I thought I did.

What I know now, is that knowing you don’t know (are you following?) is the real gift. So here’s my advice for anyone who is still saying, “I would never…”:

Stay open to what life throws your way. Be ready for the unexpected.

Embrace your own flying pig.

Could You Use a Little Extra Support?

If your life has taken some turns that you never thought it would, and you could use some guidance figuring it all out, therapy can help! Just give me a call at 323-999-1537, or shoot me an email at amy@thrivetherapyla.com, for a FREE phone or in-office consultation.