The End is Near, Be Happy!

Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.  ~ Carol Burnett

The End is Near

The end is near, the end of 2017 that is.  All endings bring new beginnings.  That is the one thing I like about this time of year.  It is an excellent time to take stock of where your life is, get a little perspective and plan for what’s coming.  Of course it is also important to celebrate your successes and lessons from the previous year, we’ve all had both.

Let’s Party!

So for me over the last year there were absolutely successes.  I published my first book, Appalachian Trail Happiness.  Not only was it a short-term goal related to my time off but it had been on my bucket list for a very long time.  Along the lines of my goals on this front I also did my first keynote for a statewide conference this year and am currently in talks to do another in March.  I’ve come really far in rehabbing my knee this year, working out 5 nights a week most weeks this year and recently have upped it to six.  I did a really great hike to Havasupai Falls, it was a good test of my knee with a full pack and my knee performed really well.

Havasupai Falls

I moved, both a lesson and a success, I relearned how little space I need and in turn the move is saving me over $500 a month.  This has also motivated me to work on minimizing my possessions, over the last year I’ve liberated myself from about 25% of my possessions and I’m hoping this year to liberate at least 25% more.  When I head out for my next adventure I’m really hoping to have very little in storage.  One of my learning experiences this year has been that I realize I’m way more attached to the art I own than anything else.

My favorite DOTD painting by my favorite artist Heather Calderon

I’ve learned a massive lesson this year, or more honestly I’ve finally admitted and accepted something I’ve known for a long time.  But isn’t that the way it always is, it has been that way for me.  I learn, I deny and it’s only when I finally come to acceptance that I truly move forward.  The deeper I’m invested in my belief, the longer and the harder the denial.  This one has been a doozy!  But I’ve arrived, the lesson is an old one, don’t invest significantly more in another person than they are willing to invest in you.  There’s a great quote that sums it up and is my big lesson for 2017.

My 2017 lesson

So my friends, take some time at this point in the year to take stock, evaluate and plan for what’s next and have a happy day my friends. ~ Rev Kane