The Alzheimer's Digest: Review Your Year

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Review Your Year

For many years, I review the year on New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Day, I set forth a map for the year.

It may seem silly to some to do this just because the calendar is changing from December 31 to January 1. After all, these are arbitrary dates in the stream of life. Yet, I have found this exercise to have miraculous benefits.

First, it lays the foundation for improving how I live my life when I invite family and friends to help.

This is what I’ve learned about myself and this is what I plan to change.
Will you help me stay on track?

Second, even though the New Year is only an arbitrary metric it gives us an opportunity to start anew as do the changing seasons. How many of us are inspired to clean in springtime?

Third, even though obstacles may derail our efforts to fulfill our expectations, they help us to improve our lives in we cannot anticipate. A parable illustrates with a lesson ignored by all except the poorest peasant of them all.

In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around the obstacle. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king proclaiming that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

With every obstacle comes an opportunity to better our lives.

What about you?

What opportunities will you seek in the New Year?