Reflections and Plans

 REFLECTIONS:

Most of us view the New Year holiday as a day to stake stock of the year that has passed and make plans for the year ahead. Of course some of us will view this holiday as a time to get over that hang-over from the night before. I don’t do that anymore. My advancing years and growing aversion to pain have taught me not to go down that road again. So for the New Year holiday we just chill out, relax and do a little thinking about the past year and what lies ahead.

To say 2012 has been a big year is a serious understatement. The year got off to a big start with a birth in the family. Our younger daughter gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in January. Anyone who has read this blog knows I’ve written about Kaya a couple of times and mentioned her several other times in these essays. That’s five grandchildren for us, from age twelve down to (almost) age one. We take particular pride in each one of them. They are very special people in our lives and each one brings a special kind of happiness to our existence. We always keep our grandchildren in mind as my wife and I engage in some of the social/political actions we’ve taken this year, and they are always foremost in our thoughts as we continue to develop ideas and actions related to the world we live in. If there is anything sacred in our belief system, it is that we want to contribute to a better world for our children and our grandchild to inherit.

The past year has been a year of professional change for me and my kids. For me a change has come in the form of a new job with all new areas and subject matters to learn about. This is a return to management in a great organization. The challenges have been many, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I said some time ago in this forum that I enjoy learning new things and I view change as one of those things in life that keep us young at heart. In the past year I’ve also told you about the advances in both my daughters’ careers, and how proud we are for their achievements.

In addition to all the changes and new aspects of life we've experienced, I’ve had many moments of both fun and consternation watching our government and our politics weave its way through our culture and our lives. What a year it has been! In spite of the last gasps of partisanship we’re seeing in these last weeks of this year as we peer over the fiscal cliff, I still believe this was a defining year for the country. I think the country loudly said that the extreme conservatism that has dominated the news is not what this country really wants. Instead, I believe the electorate said in a pretty clear voice that moderation, common sense, and middle class people deserve government’s favor- not the rich or these mythical “job creators” we’ve heard so much about. Several movements sprang up for a while then faded into the mainstream like the Occupy Movement. It didn’t last long as a physical presence, but I think it helped set the stage for those who recognized there is basic economic injustice in our country.  That movement got people to notice the issue, and I believe it mattered in November when we cast our votes.

Of course this was also a year to be remembered for its disasters, natural and man-made. Many people suffered loss from horrendous and unprecedented storms. Many around the world suffered from the ravages of war and domestic conflict. At home, violence claimed the lives of many thousands who died needlessly. The image of the innocents who died was captured momentarily in our conscientiousness by the death of little children in Newtown. Saddest of all is the thought that they are only 20 of the nearly twelve thousand who die each year from gun violence. Perhaps the tragic events this year will finally give rise to a new movement to start ridding our culture of these instruments of death and violence. 2012 may be the year we look back on and say, “We finally decided to do something about it”.

There were so many things of importance that happened in our collective public life that it is impossible to recount them all. Thanks for giving me an outlet to comment on these events and on my family over the last year. Being able to write- just the act of writing- has been a healthy thing for me personally. I have had some very positive responses and some very negative reactions too. It is all good- if we can share some thoughts about the events that affect us, and continue to exchange ideas in respectful ways.

PLANS:

It just so happens, this is the 100^th essay I’ve published since I began doing this blog. It’s kind of strange that this landmark number falls right on the New Year. Believe me; I didn’t plan it that way. These essays have been read over 3500 times and they have been seen in over two dozen counties around the globe. It has been seen on every continent, except the Antarctic. (The blog site keeps track of all this for me, and I’ve enjoyed tracking it) This widespread viewing is not a testament to my writing by a long shot- but it is a testament to the reach of the Internet and it demonstrates the power of this global network connected to our homes, our businesses and our person. It also informs us that movements, causes, and ideas can travel very fast, and that change can happen when just a few determined people have a message the world is ready to hear.

I have really enjoyed the process of writing. My goal when I began doing this was to share some thoughts with anyone who might care to read them, but more importantly to exercise my own brain by writing. For many years I’ve been very regular about exercising my body with consistent visits to the gym. But over the last two years I wanted to make sure that I gave my mind a little more work to do in order to keep it in shape too. I know these aren’t the typical blogs, with one-page or half-page attention grabbers. These take a few minutes to read and they don’t feature many catchy graphics. But I wanted to do something that really got into a subject area for more than just the “quick bite” most of us experience in our media.  For those of you who have read them, I thank you so much.

I plan to change my “blogging” habits this year. From the time I began doing this in March of 2010, I have been pretty consistently doing one of these a week. This year I’m going to reduce the frequency of these essays to around one every couple of weeks or so. The new job I began this summer has now expanded and I will have many more responsibilities than when I began. So I’m giving myself a little more room to stretch in my new professional role. I hope in doing that, I can be more thoughtful and better in what I present in this blog- and you won’t have to put up with me every week. Another reason to cut back a bit on this is to revisit some of the other activities I enjoy, but didn’t engage in so much while I concentrated on the writing. I want to get reacquainted with my old love of photography and get back to working on my painting. I have no particular talent in these art forms- but damn, I love doing them. I also want to work on my archery, a new interest I took up last year.  And, just like doing this blog so regularly the last two years or so, I’d just like to do some other things I enjoy too. There is only so much time in a day or a week, and I think we should all do the things that make us happy. I am so lucky to have several interests that I enjoy and the wherewithal to pursue them.

As I plan for the year to come I know that sometimes the best-laid plans can get left by the side of the road. We never know when events, opportunities, or unexpected setbacks put us on a course we didn’t see coming. That was the case for me this last year. Fortunately the unexpected changes I went through were good ones. The lesson for me is that we need to be open to new things, open to new challenges and (forever) open to learning. Learning new things, and experiencing new things is the key to longevity and happiness. I don’t want to ever feel stuck in a life that holds nothing new. 

I am planning to have a great year- but I’ll take whatever comes from 2013. I hope you have a great year too. I’ve written quite a bit about the idea of “community”, because I believe when we act as a community we all prosper. I rely on the community of my family and the community of my friends- but I continue to believe in the greater community we all share. Perhaps this will be a year when the value of “community” will return for all of us.

Happy New Year!!

Thanks for looking in.