Are We Prepared?
Excitement begins to fill the air! Trees have let go of their cover and are allowing the wind to take flight through their majestic branches. The sun and other celestial bodies have altered their positions. Feel the slight chill in the air? Look closely and the sky seems to be preparing for a grey hue here in Minnesota. It seems that snow loves to begin to blanket the ground while some of our feathered friends take flight to warmer destinations. The excitement is here to welcome another year-end! Are we ready?
The end of the year welcomes many changes. When once we were all spread out doing our various activities, the end of the year seems to have reason to bring us all back together. Family members and friends travel across the country and globe to be with each other. We all get together at The Fall Aging Conference and enjoy good networking. Retail establishments devise ways to draw us into their businesses. Daylight Saving Time is over. Boots replace sandals. Snowmobiles replace boats and mosquitos are replaced by clean crisp air! Are we prepared?
Yes, it is a time of change. The air is filled with anticipation of what’s to come however, we know we must be ready. Are we? This is a time of reflection too. This is how we can get ready. This is a time to think about what transpired throughout the year and what we can do to alter the next, if necessary. This takes concentration and a pensive disposition. This takes the will to look at ourselves and to determine if a change is warranted. It is a good time to note the good and to block out the bad. That may require us to change it up a bit! That’s OK. That’s how we become better and that’s good.
As a new snow begins to fall, the earth seems still. The tree branches appear to await a happening. Despite the calm, there begins the hustle and bustle of the coming month of festivities. We must be ready. Are we ready for the jolt? Sometimes it is good to take a quiet reflective minute.
How do we take a quiet minute? This may be done with a warm beverage, a comfortable chair and a quiet room. Get comfortable. Relax. Take a deep breath. Think: what pleased you this year and what did not? What gave you joy? What makes you happy? What gives you peace? What makes you smile? What can you do to help create peace and comfort? This time of year is a good time to enact such an exercise. It may help prepare you for what’s to come, that jolt! You’ll be ready to handle the hustle and the bustle of the festive season and the year to come. You would have sorted out what it takes for you to be happy. You will then want to work to surround yourself with those things.
It is an exciting time and perhaps the right time to get into a reflective state of mind, self-improvement and preparedness. It is also the time that most draw their attention to giving thanks.
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