A rebirth out of spiritual adversity causes us to become new creatures. ~ James E Faust

Getting Back to Happiness

The past year has been a nightmare in many ways and absolutely incredibly challenging. It was a year of open-heart surgery, the death of my mother and a nightmare political landscape in America. With society changing at a high rate of speed there has been this underlying buzz of stress and anxiety that has just amplified all of the challenges that we all have faced this past year. For me, it’s also been a year of stress and obligation. Coming back to work I was constantly three weeks behind and it created a massive amount of stress for me all semester to pile on top of everything else. There was so much obligation this year, in the midst of everything I was dealing with, I was dealing with aging and dying parents and trying to support them and even more so my sister who was on the front line where they live(d) answering and dealing with the day to day running around and needs. So I am not unhappy to see 2025 end.

One of the important things about getting an aortic valve replacement at 60 years old is that you are on a clock. Most valve replacements average about 7 years before you need another one, maybe as many as 10 or 12 years if you get lucky. So I’ve got about 6 years where I can confidently do any serious physical challenges I want to take on, before I’m likely under the knife again, or having a TAVR procedure and there are no guarantees how I bounce back from a second surgery much closer to 70. So it’s time to get back to being the guy in the picture above.

This upcoming year will definitely be a year of change for me. I’m not afraid of change, anxious, but not afraid. This year, I will be looking for a change of venue. I have a final interview for a position in NY next week. If that doesn’t work out I’ll continue looking for a position, but I also be moving forward with adventure planning for the new year. I have three in mind. I have in my mind to hike the Overland Track in Tasmania hopefully in April. I have discussed plans with a good friend to do a cruise to Antarctica in Dec/January. If I accomplish both, I will have finally made my goal to set foot on all seven continents, although I may put a leg on my Tasmanian trip to New Zealand so I can grab the unofficial eighth continent, Oceania. Finally, it’s been a really long time since I’ve been out into the ocean, so if I’m on the West Coast Hawaii and maybe a little further, the Cook Islands hold a draw. If I’m on the East Coast, there are a whole lot of Caribbean Islands worth a visit.

The hike also means a focus on training and hopefully getting my blood sugar back into a better range and to drop the weight the last four months of stress have help me put on. My hope for you friends that is in this new year you can find your own adventures, find your way to happiness and that, that results in many happy days for you my friend. ~ Rev Kane