Happy New Year!
Hello 2024. Can you believe it? We are almost a quarter of the way through the new century.
Time seems to be moving faster these days. There’s still 12 months to a year, but, to a person, everyone I’ve asked said that last year flew by.
I agree.
Even the holidays were a blur. Suddenly, they were on us and then they were over.
We barely had time to process the year that we just experienced. And yet, we need to do just that. Life is to be lived, but ideally it should be savored if not fully understood.
Over the holidays, we had a house full of kids and their dogs. It was loud, messy, expensive, wonderful, fun and stressful all at once.
And then most of them left, and the quiet returned.
Thanks to my wife Diane, we took some time from our devices and our busy lives to eat meals together and play some after dinner games, which we haven’t done in a very long time. The games were goofy: “center left right”, ( a dice game not a political test), a card game called “Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza” (don’t ask) and a question and answer game in which we pull a card that asks a question about our lives and experiences. Now that’s a good one.
These games were the highlight for me, I learned a little about my now adult children, shared some memories from my life and after we pushed away from the table we tried out the new Popstroke with my dad and daughter. And that’s what I will remember. The little moments are really the big moments.
We ate too much, slept too little, saw friends and tried our best to disconnect from our worries which, admittedly, is a work in progress for me. I have a hard time letting go. I’m going to work on that in the new year and beyond.
I have a hard time with transitions and I sense one coming on.
But kids are grounding. They arrive and become “the kids” again, with a pecking order, old jokes and a camaraderie that we take pride in because we are a blended family.
When it got too loud and too much, I simply slipped away and listened to an audiobook called “Die With Zero” which my friend Randy has urged all of his buddies to read (or listen to).
It was a enlightening book that urges us to spend our money now on experiences that enrich our lives and the lives of others. It’s a message that’s hard to argue with assuming you have some means.
We don’t know when our lives will end so let’s enjoy life while we are able and let’s give to others while we are here.
Time, health and freedom are going to be my three words for this year and hopefully beyond.
I used to be laser focused on leadership, entrepreneurship and community but now I want time with loved ones, health to enjoy my life and the freedom to do the things I want to do.
I wish these for all of you as well. More light and less noise as Lincoln one said, more love and less hate or indifference, more empathy for others and more unity and less division.
Have a wonderful 2024.
Speak Your Mind