Week 98
Positive post Sunday, December 30, 2018- Week 98.
Well it’s that time of the year when many of us reflect on the past year and make New Year’s resolutions for the coming year. Like most years, there was much drama and many significant events throughout the world that occurred in 2018. However, I choose to focus on those that were closer to home and related to the “Triangle of Life” I shared in weeks 46, 47 and 48 of my Positive post Sundays. You may recall that the 3 legs of the triangle are Faith, Family and Fitness.
Although always challenged, my Catholic FAITH and belief in the good Lord continued to grow and strengthen in 2018. I was blessed and honored to renew my faith each week by experiencing the sacrament of the Eucharist at Mass, and on many occasions, serve as a Eucharistic Minister with Michele while 3 of our grandchildren served as acolytes. My FAMILY is the core of who I am, and I am so grateful and blessed to have spent quality and meaningful time in 2018 with my large and growing family. I’m especially thankful to have spent so much time with my parents each week while staying at their home to lessen the burden of my commute to work. What a true blessing to share precious time with those who provided the foundation for my deep faith and love of family. I’ve been spoiled with home cooked meals, trips to the sushi restaurant and late-night popcorn and ice cream while catching up on family and the latest shows. And completing the triangle is FITNESS, which for me includes health. I was once again blessed with good health and a strong year of fitness in 2018. According to Strava, I exercised 339 days and for 616 hours during the year with my longest activity a 103 mile bike ride in July. I’m grateful to have spent so much time riding with friends, walking with Michele and running with Kristy. I will never take my health and fitness for granted and realize how blessed I am to be so active.
Now it’s time to turn to 2019, a year filled with promise and opportunity. Sticking to my theme of the Triangle of Life, I’ll stay focused on Faith, Family and Fitness.
For Faith, I share the following link https://epicpew.com/new-year-resolutions-catholic-advent/, which lists 6 New Year’s Resolutions for the Catholic New Year. I encourage you to visit this link for more details but here is the list; 1. Head to confession, 2. Take time for daily reflection, 3. Give generously, 4. Ask a saint to walk the journey with you, 5. Pray the rosary and 6. Take a look at your media. I particularly like #6. We are all faced with a proliferation of media from numerous social and mainstream channels, and we should be mindful of the influence what we watch and listen to has on us, both positively and negatively. Here is a link to some positive podcasts you might find refreshing https://epicpew.com/catholic-podcasts-listen-new-year/.
For Family, I found the Top 10 New Year’s Resolution Ideas for Parents from Bright Horizons. It’s a quick but insightful read. Here is the list; 1. Say “Yes” More, 2. Say “No” More, 3. Worry Less, 4. Listen More, 5. Negotiate Less, 6. Read a Little More, 7. Write a Little More, 8. Expect a Little More, 9. Expect a Little Less and 10. Connect More.
For Fitness, there are literally thousands of New Year’s Resolutions most of which focus on losing weight, going to the gym, eating less etc. You are likely tired of all these. So, I found a list within the Bright Horizons list above that I think is unique and focuses on blending fitness and family. It’s titled, Finding Time to Exercise: Tips for Busy Working Parents.
I’ll close with a link to a thought provoking video from worship house media that shows a New Year’s resolution list transformed from 2017 to 2019.
https://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/79873/new-years-resolutions-2019
Wishing all of you a Happy New Year! May 2019 be kind to you and your families.