12/29/23

 I have no doubt that we all experienced the year 2023 differently. As the year comes to an end, I have been reflecting on how I felt the year went. For myself, I have to say that we had a pretty good year.

One can argue that we lost Phineas and that is enough to make a terrible year. Yes, we lost Phineas. Yes it was terrible. We miss him everyday. He visits us in our dreams and I still hear him sometimes. I am not the only one. A few times I have heard the kids say “what was that noise? It sounded like Phineas.”

There is a difference between unexpected loss and expected loss. Phineas was at the end of his life cycle. He lived a wonderful life and we were truly lucky our lives were spent together. We were also lucky that he was with us almost 14 years. I am glad he didn’t have a long, drawn out illness. He made the decision easy for us to choose what was kindest for him. Great dog until the end! But we had expected, at some point, he would expire. Heart breaking? Yes, but realistic.

I have heard stories from others that experienced unexpected loss this year. My heart goes out to you. We get so caught up in the day to day whirlwind, that it creates blinders. We spend less time with the people important to us. Why do we do this? I am guilty of this crime. I wish I didn’t have to work. It gets in the way of my social life.

My mom always talks about “the gift of time.” I have decided that my New Year’s resolution will be to practice giving the gift of time more to those important to me. I also am going to continue to try to be kind as much as I can. Keep in mind that sometimes me being kind, is just me being quiet. Ha! Seeds of kindness sprinkled around, grow into plants of kindness that start spreading their own seeds. That is the theory anyway.

I keep saying that I want to donate plasma, but I haven’t MADE the time. It is still on my “to do” list. I am hoping to check that off this year. 

What are your goals?