Day 155 Something Pithy Later

We've been rocking some high temperatures of late; this is the driest December on record.  The cold finally hit and it hit with the force of a Mike Tyson punch, dropping some forty odd degrees overnight.

That's okay, it is winter after all.  We had our first measurable snowfall a couple of days ago, and a little bit more today.  When the sun is out, though, it's easy to forget that the outdoor temperature is a mere twenty-three degrees, and with wind chill considered into the equation, colder yet.


I love this time of year.  It's not just because it's Christmastime. Christmas in general has become far too commercial, a great time for a lot of businesses to earn half their sales in a single month. The big deal for me is the solstice. We've hit our shortest day of the season and the sun will gradually bring longer sunlit days.  The dark slowly recedes and in my heart I am thankful.

Around here, it also means the coldest days will arrive.  December can be cold as we have been reminded, and you never quite know what you are going to get temperature-wise for January.  It's been below zero and it's been in the 70's.  But that first week of February...over the last fifteen years, we've had more below zero days the first week than not.

Yet despite all that might come, there is a lot of light and the promise of warmth once more.

It is a welcome, natural cycle, but it is likely not the only cycle we humans go through.  After Christmas comes the changing of the year, and the review of how our time was used during the past twelve months.

With the advent of the New Year, we tend to look backward and see all the time we failed to achieve our goals for the year.  Rather than dwell on the negative, which is far too easy to do, look for the accomplishments.  When someone asks you how the year has been what are you going to tell them? What good or great things did you do that you have already forgotten?

I had a similar conversation like that not long ago.  I really thought about it.  The first thing that popped into my brain were the trips to emergency and the hospital overnights.  Important, yes. But not a fair assessment of what I did do - like take four trips between April and September. 

The blog was started, and even though I didn't reach my goal of a full year, I am well on my way to three hundred sixty-five posts. I recognized some toxic relationships and have ended them.  I'm learning about supplements and nutrition, and a heck of a lot about my diabetes, the effects of it, and how those effects have been treated. I experienced being handicapped for a period (about ten months) and the joy of navigating with the use of two feet.

It is from items such as these that I am going to build my goal list for the upcoming year. I'll look at the past and note what I didn't get accomplished and decide how important that item really is.  Is it important enough to attempt for the upcoming year? If so, I'll put it on my list.

I'll prioritize some of these, and determine action steps to take in getting them done.  But most of all, I am going to enjoy my family and stop and smell the roses, the hyacinth, and the lilacs. I intend to go into the new year with plans, and no regrets.