Counting Down the Moments...
One of the interesting "side effects" of making my home on the west coast of the USA is that we are among the last to welcome the new year... and other festival days, for that matter.
As I write these words it is already mid-afternoon on January 1st, if you live in New Zealand; early afternoon in Sydney, Australia and midday in Tokyo, Japan. Over here, we're just approaching dinnertime on December 31st.
I have spent much of my life "counting down the moments" for something to happen.
As a kid, it was most often counting down the moments until school holidays, later it was counting down the moments until graduation from high school; later until graduation from University.
It might not cast me in the most positive light, but there was even a time when I was counting down the moments till my divorce was finalized.
I'm sure what a tendency to spend a lot of time "counting down" says about a person's personality... except maybe that much of my life has been shaped by the hope that something better could be found on the path ahead.
If you analyze that from a deeper perspective, maybe it was also a statement suggesting that my choices of present weren't always particularly pleasant... so the "counting down" was substantially connected to wanting to get away from whatever I felt stuck in the middle of...
At the moment, I am just ready for 2024 to end.
It was not really a particularly joyful or positively memorable year. In fact, I'm not sure I accomplished much more than simply staying afloat.
Some years are like that, and maybe that's precisely how they are supposed to be, in order to give us greater appreciation for the years that are really good.
In 2024, there was a lot of death in our world... a couple of close cousins, a couple of close friends, our beloved dog; our daughter's pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage... and there were a lot of "unscheduled" expenses and taxes during a time when we've been struggling to maintain our income while it seems like the cost of living keeps rising.
Of course, there are also things to be grateful for, like the two beautiful rescue kittens who found a "forever home" with us, back in August... along with simpler things like just being able to continue pursuing the kind of creative life we really want.
As of yet, I am not making too many goals and plans for the new year... I'll let the old year make it out the door, first.
In some ways, maybe what I really want to resolve is simply to have more success doing what we are already doing and hope that turns out to be enough to keep carrying us along.
Then again, maybe I'll think of something to plan for. Time will tell.
In the meantime, thanks for stopping by, and Happy New Year to everyone!
How about you? What sort of year was 2024 for you? What sort of year are uou hoping/planning for in 2025? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
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Created at 2024.12.31 23:22 PST
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What does that mean: having more success in what we are already doing?
How much succes does one need, how will it be measured and when will it be enough?
Counting down is what many do just like waiting. I wish you all tje best for 2025 and the success you feel you need.
♥️🍀
For me, it means that if I need "more" of something, I will get it from spending more time with the things I already enjoy doing, not from going out somewhere else in search of "greener grass." Success, for me, means being able to keep our home and do the things I enjoy. Here in USA, that is a "luxury" for more and more people...
Wishing you the best 2025, also!