Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Happy New Year: Goodbye 2013, and looking forward to 2014.



2013 is ready to close. It’s been an interesting year in many ways, but as I look back on the previous year, I find that I am grateful for much that has transpired because I am a much better person now than I was at this time a year ago.

I went back and reviewed my posting from last year, and I was struck at how I wasn’t really enthusiastic as to what 2013 could bring. At that time, I really wasn’t looking forward to the year, but in retrospect, I find that I’m much more confident and grateful for what has happened to make me the person that I am in today.

One of the things I did over the course of the last year was kept a weekly journal. I made efforts to compose an entry at least once a week (usually on Sundays) to keep up to date with things that were happening in my life and some of the things I was dealing with. Here in the last week I took some time to review the journal over the past year and I was struck by a number of things.

To begin with, I can see my development as a person and my growth, emotionally or otherwise, through my entries in the journal and it’s great to see how much has happened over the course of one year. But taken as a whole, I found it to be really repetitive. I found I would stress over the same things again and again and the only way I would deal with them was to let them pass through the course of time. Upon reading this though, I realized something.

I have found that too often, we stress WAY too much. I’ve noticed this among my friends, family and myself time and time again. We worry about things or rather how we’re going to get things done to the point that we can’t live in the moment and enjoy something. We’re too busy worrying about what comes next that we can’t appreciate where we are.

Some of this is justified. If you’re going to graduate or are worried about your job, health care, or whatever is a driving force in your life, it’s going to cause you some stress. Tragic things that happen will stress a person (such as death, or sickness) and it’s easy to get worked up.

We all need to learn how to live for the moment. Look, life is much too short, and if we spend it worrying so much about what comes next, we can’t appreciate what we have right in front of us. If you have a life with friends, enjoy them and their company while you can. If you have major projects and are juggling multiple ones, prioritize, categorize, and while you’re working on them, seek out something about the work that satisfies you. Perhaps it’s just the people you work with, or the work itself is enlightening. Whatever works, try to live for the moment.

Over the course of this last year, I have achieved a college degree. That is (understandably) satisfying, but at the same time, I miss working and seeing many of the people who I met while there every day. With them, and in working side by side with them, I found that I really enjoyed their company, but only realize it now. I didn’t appreciate it then (perhaps I couldn’t) but in any case I do miss that. It happens to all of us. We’re so caught up on our own things that we can’t see what is happening before our eyes and it’s time to change that.

As we move forward into a new year, we need to look back and reflect, but also live for the moment. The time we have NOW is so important, and special that we need to appreciate it while we still can. Stress over the future can take over a person if they let it, so don’t let it.

I know it’s easier said than done, but try. I’m going to make more efforts to live in the moment in the next year, and I encourage all of you to do the same.

Happy New Year, wherever you happen to be. I hope it’s filled with success and happiness, and let it begin today.




Sunday, December 1, 2013

Finish the season on a high note. That's all that really matters.


Oh my word. I don’t think I’ve seen a more exciting Michigan game is quite some time, nor as an exciting day of college football. Sure Ohio State should have easily dispatched the Wolverines but in true rivalry fashion did not, and the result was an exciting afternoon. However, while much of the talk this week will surely focus on why or why not Ohio State deserves to be ranked #2 in the nation, it seems to me it would be better to focus on just winning.


So far today, I’ve read a couple of reports that Auburn, after their impressive and incredible win over Alabama should be allowed to jump Ohio State in the rankings because of the strength of their schedule. Theory being, in spite of the fact that Auburn has lost this year, and Ohio State is undefeated, Auburn played tougher teams, and therefore is the superior team. So should be ranked higher.

Undoubtedly, this will be considered by the so-called geniuses who run the computer rankings and the voters but really, who cares? Seems to me that finishing an impressive winning streak, the season undefeated, and a Big Ten Championship would mean much more to the folks in this state. After all, if the BCS wants to have a national championship between a team that is undefeated and a team that has lost this season while they have a contender in 3rd place which is also undefeated, be it on their own head. It would serve nothing other than to illustrate the ineptitude of that system. (All the more reason to bring on the playoff)


And you can bet that the other schools will look for any, ANY excuse to keep Ohio State out of contention, so screw em’. Nothing that team does will change that so why worry about it? Focus on ending the season on a high note. Given the game yesterday, that’s going to be a major challenge in itself. Ohio State’s defense needs to actually show up. Michigan State, while having a limited offense has a solid, strong defense, and to think this will be a walk in the park is just plain stupid.


At the end of the day haters are going to hate. There’s neither rhyme nor reason to it. So why worry about it and get worked up over it? Focus on what’s right in front of you and worry about the future when you’re done with today.


GO BUCKS!