Starting the Year: More Perspective than Retrospective

As I wrote in my newsletter yesterday,* I thought about writing a “2018 Year in Review” piece, and then I thought about writing a “What’s Coming Up in 2019” piece, but I decided that I didn’t like either idea.

It’s not that 2018 was terrible — it was okay, it had some nice moments — and it’s not that I expect 2019 to be particularly troublesome. No, what I’m trying to do is shorten my perspective. Instead of looking at the past or the future through a metaphorical telescope, and trying to bring them closer to learn more about them, I want to look at now, at the present, to see it more clearly.

Song Lyrics
The moments of our lives seem to slip through our fingers…. (Image: “Song Lyrics,” by Silke Remmery, on Flickr under Creative Commons.)

I want to see each day through a lens of gratitude, thankful for being alive and for whatever opportunities I have. I want to see things as they are, not through rose- or any other-colored glasses. And I want to do what I can, when I can, to discharge the responsibilities I’ve taken on — and especially to be careful about taking on any new responsibilities, lest I fail and let myself (and maybe you) down.

So here’s to the New Year! Let’s make it the best that we can.

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