“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on.” ~Hal Borland

As each New Year Day approaches, I spend much time looking back and checking off what has been on done on My List for the Future as well as planning what to put on the list. Why do I do this?  The answer is this: Moving on with optimism and with a sense of accomplishment. Making each year count for something.

This past year I have had to deal with the fear of cancer returning and the declined health and death of my younger only sibling, Peter. I have spent a great deal of my life living with and managing anxiety and depression.  Life has its ups and downs and these were immense; for me I must work hard to pull myself up from those downs. How can I do it with more ease? Hiking, friends, my church, reading, writing and diet are some of my strategies but the strongest tool is doing something new.

In 2018, one of my planned activities to move myself forward was traveling. I wanted to revisit with friends and family I had not seen in awhile so the trip to Florida to see my last living Uncle Fred, travels to Australia to see Tony and Susie from my Camino Family and the Cousins Road Trip to Texas to see David, Dietra, Jack, & Jordan was planned and completed.  I also met a new cousin, Holly this year. Each trip was very personally satisfying and helped me to feel as if I was living my life and moving on from my serious illness.

Learning something new also gives me a powerful sense of being alive. I needed to feel as if I was doing SOMETHING to keep my immune system strong, so I took a class on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at a local college. This opened up a new avenue of learning for me. I also took a class on Basic Acting which brought a younger group for me to interact with and learn from. I also went Tubing with my daughter & grandchildren.

On my agenda for 2019 is to travel further, learn and experience more new things. Africa is confirmed as well as Arizona with possibilities for another Camino this Spring,  Japan and Taiwan for the summer. I want to do more creative arts and I am exploring these options. (I want to learn to play the ukulele and audition for a part in a play in a local theater.) To help me focus on these goals I am cutting out Facebook for the year.

My word for the year is FOCUS; focus on my goals, the present, the people and the places I am in. I am Moving & Going On….