Reflecting on 2010

The end of a new year is an appropriate time to reflect upon your life and plan ahead for the future. Each December 31st I always take a moment to replay the highlights of the year and ponder what the new year will bring. Will there we any new babies born in our family? Will I meet new people who will impact my life? Will I be fortunate enough to be offered any opportunities that will provide challenges that will make me grow as a person?

Sitting here this morning in the cozy new robe that my husband gave me as a Christmas gift, sipping a cup of coffee, I took a moment to rewind the year like an old-fashioned movie. I recall vividly asking myself the same question on December 31, 2009 that I do each new year, "What will this year bring?" Most years the answer to that question is a mystery. Sadly, I knew at that time that without a miracle our family would be ending 2010 without one of our own, my oldest brother, David. We did, in fact, lose our David on October 5. Thanksgiving and Christmas were not quite as sweet without his presence. Our family loves a good story and no one could tell a story quite like David. He had a gift for finding the funny in the most mundane of events.

David, September 16, 1960-October 5, 2010

The picture above was taken on Thanksgiving of 2009 just before my family left for the evening. I recall David sharing a hilarious account of the time he appeared on a local television show called "Bozo the Clown" which included him not winning the big prize of a table full of toys. Instead, he went home with a consolation prize, a container of Tootsie Rolls. To top it off, he'd told his whole class to watch the show and had to endure their snide comments about his loss and the dorky winter boots and cub scout uniform he was wearing during the taping of the show.

As I reflected on 2010, David's passing was the only event in 2010 that really mattered. I took a moment then and tried to see the future and what I hope I will pinpoint as the highlights of the year on December 31 of 2011. I wish that at that time they will include some of these:

-I never failed to stop and listen when one of my children shared a story about their day.

-I snapped lots of photographs of family and friends so I could recall in years to come the happy times we shared.

-I experienced the joy of giving back by volunteering at The Victory Center, a local non-profit agency that offers alternative, non-invasive therapies to cancer patients.

-I offered help and support to friends and members of my family when they needed a lift.

-I took time to learn a new skill.

-I called out-of-town relatives just to say hi.

-I spent time with a lot of nice people in my life who I'd been neglecting.

-I always took time to count my many blessings and made an attempt to discount the negatives in my life.


My thoughts regarding the new year made me think of a song that never fails to make me stop and think when I hear it, "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw. The fact is, we are all dying. I, for one, don't want to have regrets when I take my last breath. In 2011, I plan to live like I was dying.

What are your goals for 2011?

Healthy Habits and Hectic Lives

Have you ever glanced at your calendar and wondered if someone had swapped it out for the President's agenda? That's how I felt last week when I looked at my calendar for December. There were few days without at least two obligations. When my schedule is crammed full the first thing I do is make my priority list and start dividing and conquering. The priority this past week was tackling my holiday shopping so that I could enjoy the holiday season (and the reason for my lack of posting.)While I did complete the majority of my shopping by Friday afternoon I ended up putting other things, namely exercise, on the bottom of my list, never a good plan.

I'm a big advocate of learning to acclimate to whatever changes, temporary or otherwise, occur in your life. During the holidays when I'm busier than usual this means that I have to find creative ways to fit workouts in to my hectic week. Wanting to get going first thing in the morning, this week I felt like my best bet was to workout in the evening. Unfortunately, by the time I returned from shopping each day it was time to pick my daughter up from school. Every day it was the same, there was a pantry that needed filling , laundry that need washing, a house that need to be cleaned before dinner could be prepared. By the time there was a break to fit in a workout I was exhausted from a day of constant activity, I would decide to put off working out until the next day. By yesterday morning I'd only managed to work out once. The only thing I wanted to do was sit in a chair with my Christmas mug filled with coffee and watch cheesy holiday movies on The Hallmark Channel. The time off from exercise caused a definite drain to my energy and left my joints feeling stiff, exactly the opposite of what a person needs when they are busier than usual.

What I learned this week was that sometimes when life gets busy it's important to retain habits that are going to increase your energy. Finding time to get in a workout, even if it's an abbreviated session, and insisting on healthy meals instead of reaching for the whatever is most convenient goes a long way in taking the stress out of those crazy periods in life when there is more on your plate than usual. For me, sticking to my normal morning workouts is a must. Eating a healthy breakfast before heading out in the morning and bringing bottled water and a snack with me while running errands could help keep my energy up. If all else fails, maybe I could hire a personal shopper!