For some reason, I'm not on a “bah humbug” bent this year. I really don't feel the negativity surrounding the holidays as I usually do, and I don't know why. I think with my advanced age that I'm just not getting riled over things like Christmas as I did in my younger years.
I was telling a friend the other day that the best Christmas present for me this year was to get my groove back on the treadmill. I'm able to run for 40 minutes straight. I didn't think I would ever be able to run like this again what with age, weight, sore knees... I thought my running days were over. After I did my marathon, my joints ached, and I gained 90 pounds, well, the future for me and running didn't look rosy. A good friend of mine is a retired band teacher. Because of age and arthritis, he can't play music anymore. He told me he really misses being able to play. I think whatever we can continue to do - play music, read, sing, run, play... whatever, we should do as much and as hard as we can for as many years as possible.
As I look to the future, I've decided not to focus on the potential negatives but to focus on the best outcomes possible. The universe will take care of the rest. My life coach told me this. I was saying, "Well this and that could happen," and she basically told me that I just screwed everything up because I brought doubt into the environment. She said, "Just picture the best possible situation - the best outcome - and focus on that." That may sound a bit optimistic and Pollyanna, but at the end of the day, I sleep so much better knowing that the future is beautiful.
Doubt your doubts ... life is good, enjoy the ride. And Merry Christmas!
-Steve Simonin, President and CEO
