Periodically, as humans in the twenty first century, it is a good practice to βtake stockβ and reflect on where we are at, where weβve come from, and where weβd like to go.
I turned 79 on 12/25/24 having been born on Christmas day in 1945. It seems an auspicious birthday, the last in my 70s before I turn 80 if I get there and there is no reason at this time that I canβt think that I will.
Another reason that turning 79 is auspicious is that I have learned that the life expectancy for a Caucasian male in the US in 2022 according to the CDC (Center For Disease Control) is 74.8 years and so I am on borrowed time. I am living with gravy as Raymond Carver said in his poem. I think that every day is a gift that most men like me donβt get so out of gratitude for the gift I am given I should make good use of it.
Socrates said that an unexamined life is not worth living and the bumper sticker says that an unlived life is not worth examining. So wanting to live an examined life it is good to take stock and make plans.
Spiritually intelligent people know that they are called to become something greater than they are. They aspire to rise above their everyday self to their Higher Self where they become aware of their wholeness. Like the monk said to the hot dog vendor, βMake me one with everything.β And so it is good to practice CQI, Continuous Quality Improvement, and thus some of us make New Yearβs resolutions to do better, to live better, to learn better, to love better in the coming year.
Having read some of the articles at this time of year that pop up like pop corn on the various media channels, I have picked up a few tips which I have practiced and know that they work at least for me. Here they are:
Keep your resolution small. Take your ideal goal and cut it in half.
Make it specific. The question is not what do you want, and what do you aspire to, but what will you actually do? Whatever it is, keep it brief, 5 minutes or under.
Set periodic dates and times to check your progress and adjust.
Share your intention with people who might care and listen to their feedback.
Plan a ceremony to recognize and acknowledge the achievement.
A motto for the coming year is βComing more alive in 2025β 2025 is another year to become your better self that you were created to become. With the help and guidance of your Higher Power, whatever or whoever you conceive your Higher Power to be, you can be successful and this success will bring satisfaction, fulfillment, and peace.
Okay?
What do you think?
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AARP had an article a few years ago about mistakes parents make with their adult children. At the top of the list was trying to give the adult children our stuff because they really don't want it.
The value of our stuff is not the stuff itself but the memories we have attached to the objects. Our memories are ours and usually are not the same as our adult children and so the objects don't mean the same to them that they mean to us.
Our stuff then isn't really not about the stuff but the memories we have attached to them. The question then is not what to do with the stuff but what to do with the memories and stories that the stuff reminds us of.
The stuff itself could be very valuable to the right person who values antiques, classic, stuff. If the stuff is collectible or one of a kind it could be worth a lot to the right person or people. Finding them can be challenging but perhaps worth it, depending on how much time, energy, and effort you want to expend to find the right match between our stuff and someone who appreciates, not for the memories but for the object itself.
My baptism wasn't my idea it's unfair someone decided to splash me 27 years ago before I was talking and that made the Biblical God the owner of my soul who I don't want to worship. How do I get my soul back so I'm not going to hell?
What are the implications of the fact that more women are college educated than men?
On davidgmarkham.substack.com we track sociological trends that have implications for our culture.
What do you think the consequences of females being better educated than males in the US means for the future of our society?