Philosophy for 2006

As I sit here looking out my office window, and I'm facing east as the sun begins to spread sunshine, warmth, and an infusion of new hope for the rest of my life, I'm thinking to myself - today, December 26th should be named "Freedom Day", and should be a holiday just like Christmas and New Year. Today is the day that we look for, anticipate, put our hopes on, and relish like no other. It is the Day After Christmas.

Not that we can relax completely, because there is still so much work to be done, the bulldozing of the wrapping paper, finding an appropriate place to stash (or store) the stuff that we got, the KP duty in the kitchen after the holiday feasting, and the list is almost endless - but we can be light hearted to some extent because the heavy duty stress of the holidays is over for another year.

We can devote some essential time to planning the next calendar year. It is not so much a matter of making resolutions which are suggestive of being negative, e.g. "I'm not going to let stress get me down as much this year", but more of adopting a philosophy that has a positive approach to it such as - "this year I'm going to take calendar in hand and start penciling in activities that I WILL do this coming year". Even if we don't do those things, at least we can lay a guilt trip on ourselves for failing ourselves by letting the duties (supposed or real) of life assert a more important position in our lives.

In 2006 I pledge to myself that I am going to make an honest effort to see every day for what it has to offer, and to balance duty and pleasure and to know the difference. If I can enforce my belief that, in retirement, there is more pleasure than duty to be experienced, then I will have succeeded. I am hoping that I will not let the devil of procrastination work at keeping me from enjoyment of life. It is so easy to laze oneself into believing that if I don't do it today, I can still do it tomorrow. I believe in KITA. It is something that we must apply to ourselves regularly, especially when it comes to overriding a feeling of responsibility and to abandon that feeling in favor of doing something of enjoyment for ourselves. Finding an activity that is truly enjoyable can be a daunting task.

I believe in nostalgia. For the sake of those who might define nostalgia differently than me, let me say that nostalgia to me is the remembrance of the many pleasurable times in our lives that occured in the past. Usually, this is a time that is many years removed from the present. I believe in pictures that were generated in the past. This is also true of videos, but I have found that videos are too "real", whereas viewing single pictures is more like listening to a radio program than watching a television show. You have to use your imagination. That is an essential part of nostalgia - using your imagination. It lends itself to exaggeration of the mind and memory. Viewing single pictures, or even a series of single pictures of the same event often permits us to use some license to expand the amount of enjoyment of that moment. There is nothing wrong with it. A little less reality goes a long way.

I will conclude here by suggesting to my reader that you seize upon the opportunity of doing something just because you are alive. Regardless of limitations, it is essential to make the most of every single day. I'm thinking of a few people that I know who are so restricted, physically, (and mentally, in a semi-coma) that they are or might be unaware of the fact that they are even alive. I think of what they must or might be thinking - if they are compos mentis, and I wonder if they say to themselves - if only I could - I would be out fishing, or working in my garden, or calling my best friend.

"Carpe diem" is the popular phrase of moment, "seize the day". Give it your very best shot. Look at an old album -call a friend!!!

Sincerely and humbly,

Chas