There is a certain
amount of relief that comes with a new year.
Relief, because when that clock strikes midnight, the big ball drops and
we all get to hear Ryan Seacrest (please come back Dick Clark) yell the words “Happy
New Year,” there is a sense that everything in our lives are new once
again. For most of us, the New Year acts
as a kind of reset button. This is the
year we will finally “do this” or “lose
that.” I think this year, I prefer to
make 2013 a continuation of 2012.
Now don’t get me
wrong. I have resolutions and goals just
like the rest of humanity. For one, I
have determined not to eat fast food in 2013.
No McDonalds, Burger King or Taco Bell for Steve. It also means no Chick-fil-a, which kind of
makes me cry, but I will be better off.
I have also resolved to run 1313 miles.
In 2012 I ran 1000 exactly, so I know I can add a few more miles a week
to make this goal. Barring injury, this
averages out to about 25.25 miles per week.
As Nike would tell us, “Just Do It.”
Which brings me to
my point of making 2013 and continuation of 2012. That’s life.
We can say we are starting over year after year, but in reality we
aren’t. Our stories began with our birth
and continue until our death. 2012 was
very clear on this matter for me. In
February my niece Anna was born. In May
I lost my Aunt Laurel. Two relatives in
their 90s past away. Numerous friends
and relatives had babies. One family I
know and love lost their baby just 4 days after he was born. And with these triumphs and tragedies, these
joys and heartaches, life continues on.
2013 is here, just as 2012 says goodbye.
We can’t stop the sands from flowing downward into the other side of the
hourglass.
So 2013 is a
continuation of 2012, which was a continuation of 2011 and so on. There are times I would like to forget parts
of my life. I know there are friends who
would like to forget their tragedies, their pains and their problems. But we can’t.
Without those horrible experiences in our lives we would never know pure
joy. Without heartache, we can never
understand true love. Without fear, we
can never gain the knowledge of absolute courage. Without pain, we could never understand
healing. For the first time in my life,
I don’t want to give up any part of my past.
Through my past, I am made whole in the present and will be made even
more complete in the future.
Last night, my
dear wife, Heather and I were watching the movie “New Year’s Eve.” It’s a cheesy sort of romantic comedy
starring just about everyone in Hollywood.
At one point, one of the main characters was asked, “What inspires
you?” His answer, “Pizza!” Huh?
How could pizza inspire someone?
The character then goes on to describe how he met a girl the previous
New Year’s Eve at a small pizza restaurant.
The picture becomes more clear when the whole story is revealed. Pizza may have been the inspiration, but it
was the memory of a girl that made him remember the meal. His 2011 became the inspiration for his 2012,
and I bet that would lead into his 2013,
Today, I resolve
to continue living life without trying to start it over. I resolve to look for inspiration in
everything. I resolve to leave regrets
at the curb where they belong, because if we regret things, we won’t fully
appreciate all we are blessed with.
There is so much out there that is beautiful, wonderful, awesome and
amazing. Sure, some of it isn’t, but I
can bet that if we look for the beauty in life, we just might find it in some
of the most unexpected places ever.
Happy New Year my
friends. In 2013, Heather and I begin a
new chapter in our book by moving to Virginia and taking on the new challenges
a new Army duty assignment can bring. We
look forward to how this chapter will tie into our story. We also look forward to how our new lives tie
into the books of others as each of our friends and family members tie into
ours. We wouldn’t be the same without
you. May 2013 be the best year of your
life, and if it isn’t, don’t worry, it’s all a part of this game we call Life.
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