Director's Corner
by Barbara Alexis Looby, MSWAC, Administrative Director of CKHS Senior Health Services
Moreover, did you forget to acknowledge a key moment in someone’s life? Did you fail to spend a moment of silence with someone, or even with yourself, to examine those things you value most in life? Did you manage your life like your check book, balancing every month and hoping you have more in reserve, only to find out that you are “spent” and if you are lucky there may be enough for next month? At what point in time during the past year did you realize that you had missed opportunities and lost moments? Like many of us, you may have had the discussion at the holiday table when you ask your friends and family that impossible question that never gets answered…”where did the year go?”
Many of us spend much of our time focusing on the insignificant, causing us to fail at living the full and valuable life we all deserve. We will never be able to answer the bolded question because the year flew by while we were holding on to issues that left us stuck in a single moment. We chose to be reactive and not proactive. We were unable to seize opportunities, build relationships and make new memories. As we enter into the New Year, we realize that an entire year has passed us without trying different things or being better people; and in addition to all of the mistakes we made, the unsaid apologies or our search for forgiveness is all we have left. We ended the year still tired and often overwhelmed.
It’s a New Year and there is no other time like “now.” This is what January has to offer us. Not a chance to undo, because yesterday is gone; however, we will all get to define our own “it” and a chance to do “it” all over again. Think of January as the refresh button on your life’s computer. On 1/1/09 each of us gets 365 chances to live the life we desire. There will be a few definites...there will be unpredictable moments and a fresh start to look at each disappointment as a new opportunity. There will be chances for us to grow, accomplishments to celebrate and once again we all get to spend 8,760 hours painting the world we want to live in. Use each one of these hours wisely, fix what was broken and always carve out time for the person who controls your “it”—You!
So this time next year when the question is asked, you will be able to answer your friends and family. The year would not have passed you by because you made a conscious decision to live. You made a decision to move forward, you made a decision to embrace life, you made a decision to rid yourself of all of the things that were burdensome. You made a decision to value every day and every hour that you were given. You will be able to share your experiences with your loved ones validating that you know where the year went because you went with it. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Please read our February newsletter where we will introduce to you new and exciting ways to add value to your days in the upcoming year.