bradmax

Mood: “My Way” sung by Frank Sinatra

Be Resolute

A lot of people decide that New Year’s Eve and Day are a time for change, a time to enter the new year with a new frame of mind, with the impetus to make changes or a single change in their lives or goals. On the face of it, a noble thing to do, of course. Still, we are all human and I do nothing think I am wrong in thinking that, in general, by February we have ‘forgotten’ any such Resolution.

I may be wrong in this, but I think anything really important to us will perforce give us the determination to make it so, to give us the resolution to see it through to the end. There are certainly those of us who can somehow lock in the single-minded determination and persevere an accomplishment to completion right from the start. Speaking for myself, I do get there, but I tend to do so in fits and bits. With a single-minded determination, something that might take a year to complete might take me five to more years, as in my novel. Still though, and whereas I certainly could be more determined, this writing project is something removed from my ‘normal’ every day activities, some thing I must actively forge out time in my week to accomplish. Other factors can get in the way, illness, too damn much knee pain and so forth that after a ten-hour work day there isn’t quite enough impetus to woodcraft.

I believe the ol’ saying is that it takes some 3 weeks for something to become a habit, something done every day for that time becomes second nature. Whereas I am certain that the human brain can be programmed (see most social media and main stream media), I am not certain this ‘21 days’ is a real thing. Although it does involve the willpower of the individual, it simply seems to me that if it means that much to you, you will find a way.

This glosses over addictions, of course, as I know those are a more perfidious and insidious battle, but even those can be overcome with a more stringent and imposed willpower. Even then, if a rehabilitation clinic was used to dispel the addiction, it can return, so the will power of change must be strong.

The Significance of the Passage of Time

(To be fair, the rest of that little gem of Wisdom was: “'So, when you think about it, there is great significance to the passage of time in terms of what we need to do to lay these wires, what we need to do to create these jobs. And there is such great significance to the passage of time when we think about a day in the life of our children and what that means to the future of our nation, depending on whether or not they have the resources they need to achieve their God-given talent.”)

It goes so damn fast, doesn’t it? Even after those days or weeks that seem to drag on forever, even when you have the week or more vacation and those first few days seem to be so long, especially when you see those days and days of time off still ahead of you; once those ‘time lags’ have passed, you look back and think ‘where did the time go?’.

For me, these days are especially significant where time is concerned; i take care of my 84 year old parents. My Dad has pain in his left knee from two surgeries and just doesn’t want to go through another surgery, so deals with medical management of that pain. He has a shot short term memory and has already once been ‘fired’ from his medical pain management team for running through his pain meds too quickly, so now we have to be in charge of pain meds distribution. My Mom has a bad back, enough so that she is stooped over and, as she puts it, ‘walks like an old woman’. On top of which she needs an aortic valve replacement surgery next month.

I am watching them diminish day by day and know their time is shorter every day. I want that time to dilate as much as possible, of course, and cherish the time we have. As long as the almost 60 years I have had with them (maybe 52 of which I recall well enough), it won’t seem so when they pass on.

That is significant!

Be Aware, But Always Try To Do Your Best

Things are complicated enough in Life when the questioning of science, which is the basis of all science, is considered somehow mentally ignorant, to name just one thing. As a Society, we will never completely agree on everything, but we do not need to be asinine to those who do not believe as we do. Religious wars have killed more people than ‘regular’ wars over such asininity. If you can’t agree, try to be understanding; if you disagree, try asking questions for clarity rather than attacking (i.e. ‘being an ass’).

I am a firm believer that if we all can’t be Positive and to Positive things as One, then we can achieve much the same if we all peacefully achieve Positive things ourselves, the Positivity grow with each action. Will there always be murders? Unfortunately, yes. Will there always be ‘evil’? Unfortunately, yes. Will the Totality of Humanity do any better if the argument over how to mitigate such things breaks out in violence and ‘violent words’ that are accused in leading to more death? Well, obviously not!

That was a bit of circular logic, but it is what most social media seem to deal in, only without the derogation or threats. Pretty cowardly when you aren’t face-to-face with the one you disagree with, right?

So, if there must be a Resolution, mine is to continue to try to be as Positive as I can be and to spread Positivity. It is nothing new for me, but bolstering a Resolution you are successful at is still a good one, in my ‘book’.

A Few Final Words

A song in the form of a ‘poem’, or in other words putting the lyrics down ‘on paper’; a video of said song and a few News Year’s thoughts.

Be well, pax vobiscum and A Happy New Year!