Looking Toward a New Year

There is always a lift and  renewal after Christmas. Perhaps it is the aspect of anticipating a new year  with a feeling of newness and hope.  We look forward to fresh starts, new experiences, challenges and growth. Not one to make New Year's resolutions I look forward to beginning a new year with renewed energy and enthusiasm. I might plant fruit trees this spring and forget the mess they make in the fall. Or I could write more, explore more non fiction books, learn and remember the names of the flowers I plant, enjoy the now and throw out what ifs.

There will always be things we can not control or change, but the option to decided how we will accept the adversities is ours. Moving forward slowly or aggressively we begin the climb out of the deep spaces we encounter. The best of life is found in movement: learning, finding new places and people, going beyond what is comfortable, and in giving ourselves permission to try without worrying about failure.

A new calendar year is not yet filled with regrets: only possibilities, opportunities and anticipation.
  

A wish for the new year

Difficultly Breathing

I am having difficulty breathing. I can still function, and my oxygen levels are normal. The problem seems be the lack of deep refreshing breathes. In becoming aware of this problem I have noticed one thing in particular that has made my life less than pleasant--too much information. Perhaps I don't need to know so much about what happens hourly in the world around me. While not all media information is negative, the majority of what we hear daily is not what makes you feel warm and fuzzy.




The bombardment of information we expose ourselves to each day is an overload to the senses. A one time exposure is enough for us to understand that the world is not in a good place. I like most people, only need to hear the story once to get the drift of what is taking place.  So why do I listen to news reports several times a day. Am I afraid of missing something important? So far that hasn't been the case. If I watched the news one day a week I would have all the information needed to be news literate.


If I want to increase my ability to take deep breathes and change my environment the TV has to take a hike along with news apps. I am reminded of the sayings, 'too much information is dangerous' and 'a little bit goes along way.' It is time for me to change my news dosage. One dose a day should be enough to make me aware of the world situation and whether or not anything has changed, improved or degenerated.


This is a good decision for me, but not for everyone. I want to take time to enjoy the things around me that have a positive influence in my life and feel good about being in this moment. The ugly will never go away, but we should never forget there is more good than bad--we just have to look harder to find it. Now that I have shared my perspective I am taking a deep refreshing breathe. Ah, I feel so much better.