Happy New Year

As I reflect on the past year I feel blessed to share my thoughts with you. It can be frustrating when everything seems to be going a different way than you planned. However, there’s wisdom to the phrase count your blessings and so I’d like to propose that the same way you might write a list of the bad things going on in your life, you write one of the good things instead.

If the experience of 2020 teaches us anything I wish it would be the realization that life can fleeting, sublime, horrible and beautiful all at the same time. You see we spend our lives thinking that we’re not successful or happy until...something happens. Either until we’re rich or have a significant other or have our own home. It’s always something that has to occur to make us happy. In the meantime life is passing us by and unless we learn to appreciate and accept that our lives are all probably gonna be a mixture of good and bad shit happening we won’t ever realize that it’s not about the good and bad shit.

It’s not about the money. It’s not about the relationships. It’s about how we love and care for ourselves! And here I’m not talking being selfish. I’m talking about understanding who we are, what our needs are mentally, physically and emotionally and spiritually and then learning to meet those needs. Note that I didn’t say financially. Finances are important but they’re not a need. They’re a want. In other words your happiness DOES NOT depend on your financial success.

I’m over 50 years old and it took me almost half my life to learn that and even now I sometimes struggle with remembering this small but significant life lesson. Sure there are bad times (2020) and there are good times too but we must try to not allow your ship of self to be buffeted by those waves. Instead Let us focus on our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health. Let us remember that when those needs have been taken care of we can better take care of the needs of those we love and cherish. Take care of yourself and have a Happy New Year.