My first inclination was to reminisce over the events that took place this year. So many events, so many emotions, it quickly became overwhelming to think of it all at the same time. What do I want to come away with as 2006 comes to a close? Did I succeed with last New Years goals? Have I become a better or worse person? Did I make or lose friends? What have I done to improve my quality of life, my state of mind, my mood and my surroundings? What really matters in the big scheme of things?
Nothing puts things more in perspective when someone close to you is hurting. You try to put yourself in their shoes yet it is impossible to experience what they are going through. I pray for my friend and the healing of his loved one. On any given day, it could be me sitting in the hospital in his position.
Health and wisdom are the two things that I wish 2006 would have brought along. Health for all, accompanied with wisdom to stop before something stupid or tragic was done. In my case, I was very ill several times specially towards the last few months of this year. As soon as I recuperated, I wore myself out trying to catch up on all the things I was not able to do. Then I would fall ill again. Why push yourself to the grave?
One name that has never left my mind is Nixzmary Brown. The more I read about how she lived, the angrier I became. Wisdom and courage were needed to save her from her stupid and horrible parents. That is one of the many things that took place this year that got to me. I thought I was becoming desensitized to human tragedies after hearing so much of it yet I was wrong.
After coming up for air I realized if we all snapped our fingers and had things done our way, we still would have the mess we have now. We are so selfish. If only the common denominator would be compassion, healing and a positive outlook, things would be better off. Unrealistic you say? Probably yet the direction we take individually at some point comes face to face to the directions others are taking, who is right? We are all wrong if we do nothing to help those who are not able to help themselves. A place to start is to wonder why you don’t care. If you do care, then you are ahead of the rest. We can step outside ourselves to give someone a hand. It has to be a conscious effort without expecting a personal gain. We need money to pay out bills, buy our things etc, just as money is our financial currency, compassion is our moral one. Therefore the 2006 Challenge that I posted last year has been simplified for this year.
Nothing puts things more in perspective when someone close to you is hurting. You try to put yourself in their shoes yet it is impossible to experience what they are going through. I pray for my friend and the healing of his loved one. On any given day, it could be me sitting in the hospital in his position.
Health and wisdom are the two things that I wish 2006 would have brought along. Health for all, accompanied with wisdom to stop before something stupid or tragic was done. In my case, I was very ill several times specially towards the last few months of this year. As soon as I recuperated, I wore myself out trying to catch up on all the things I was not able to do. Then I would fall ill again. Why push yourself to the grave?
One name that has never left my mind is Nixzmary Brown. The more I read about how she lived, the angrier I became. Wisdom and courage were needed to save her from her stupid and horrible parents. That is one of the many things that took place this year that got to me. I thought I was becoming desensitized to human tragedies after hearing so much of it yet I was wrong.
After coming up for air I realized if we all snapped our fingers and had things done our way, we still would have the mess we have now. We are so selfish. If only the common denominator would be compassion, healing and a positive outlook, things would be better off. Unrealistic you say? Probably yet the direction we take individually at some point comes face to face to the directions others are taking, who is right? We are all wrong if we do nothing to help those who are not able to help themselves. A place to start is to wonder why you don’t care. If you do care, then you are ahead of the rest. We can step outside ourselves to give someone a hand. It has to be a conscious effort without expecting a personal gain. We need money to pay out bills, buy our things etc, just as money is our financial currency, compassion is our moral one. Therefore the 2006 Challenge that I posted last year has been simplified for this year.
The 2007 Challenge: Care to make this world a better place somehow, even if you start with small steps, take the first step the rest will slowly follow.
May you be the person you know you can be. May your life be filled with health, wisdom and success in all you do. Oh and when you run out of people to blame for how miserable you feel, look in the mirror, shake it off, start a new, you get a chance to get your emotions on the right track every second of the day. Isn’t life grand!
May you be the person you know you can be. May your life be filled with health, wisdom and success in all you do. Oh and when you run out of people to blame for how miserable you feel, look in the mirror, shake it off, start a new, you get a chance to get your emotions on the right track every second of the day. Isn’t life grand!