How are you living out each day?

Don’t Live a Lizard Life

A reflection on busyness, boundaries, and being renewed

Where I live, we are surrounded by lizards — tiny ones darting across the sidewalk and big ones sunning themselves near the water. Some are barely an inch long, others stretch six or seven feet. Some change colors. Some disappear into their surroundings.

But they all seem to live the same way…
Running.
Skittering.
Dodging.
Circling.

From sunshine to shade. From danger to safety. From one reaction to the next.

And every time I watch them, I can’t help but wonder:
How many of us are doing the very same thing?

Running from one obligation to the next.
Dodging discomfort.
Chasing productivity.
Trying to get from Point A to Point B — but never quite feeling like we arrive.

A few years ago, I grew tired of being called “busy.” Not because my life wasn’t full… but because it wasn’t frantic. There’s a difference. So I chose a word that changed everything: Fulfilled.

That year, I stopped saying yes out of guilt.
I stopped doing things just because I “should.”
I filled my calendar only with the things I loved, the things that mattered, the things that truly added value to my life and to others.

My plate was still full — but it was full of purpose, not pressure.

So this week, here is your invitation:

Don’t live a lizard life.

Take a deep breath.
Say no to what drains you.
Say yes to what grows you.
You don’t need to volunteer for every committee, attend every event, or carry every cause. Pick one or two and let the rest go. There is freedom in focus.

As I look ahead, my word is Renewed — a fresh start, a clear heart, and a return to the rhythms that restore me… including the ocean waves that remind me how to breathe again.

Your life was not meant to be a frantic dash.
It was meant to be a sacred calling.

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✨ Reflection Questions

1. Mental Health: Where in your life do you feel like you’re “running in circles” instead of moving forward?
2. Emotional Health: What is one obligation you could lovingly release to create more peace?
3. Career & Purpose: If you chose one word to guide your year, what would it be — and why?