The end of any phase tend to do one of two things to people: If your are more sentimentally inclined you look back over that period of time and reminisce about the things that happened. The more go-orientated types look to the future and ask “what is next”.
At the end of a year as activities wind down, those extra hours of time seem to magnify this situation. For example while I am writing here, thinking about the future my wife is paging through pictures of our children when they were kids. I am sure it is a good thing to take a look where we come from because it gives us some direction of where we want to go in the future. For me, however it is not much more than a glance over the shoulder. Is it wrong to dig in the past and relive every detail of what happened yesterday and the day before? No, of course there is no wrong or right here. Each one of us do what we need to do.
There are days that I dig in the past. To be honest many days I dig in the distant past, hundreds of years before I was born – but this is not a direct emotional need that I have, it is part of the research that I am doing for my book. If you work as a historian, then that is what you do and you dig in other peoples past. This is like doing it as a hobby, in other words as a form of entertainment. Not surprising that I enjoy watching the History Channel in stead of the latest football match. Professional historians on the other hand might get home after a tough day at the museum and enjoy a game of football to unwind. What I am trying to say is that this kind of digging in other peoples past is different and might not have anything to do with your own emotions about past events.
A final thought about digging into your own history is also a cautionary note. Do just enough digging to satisfy your own needs. It could become a bit of a twilight zone where some sad events can take on a life of its own and you could find yourself being drawn deeper into the shadows of your own mind. Try and be realistic about those emotions, don't let them drag you down and if your soul starts feeling heavy in your chest, it is time for a break. Watch out for the dark spiral that pulls you down and makes it more and more difficult to escape. If you feel this spiral is pulling you down, call “time out”, move back to the sunshine and find some people to talk to. Some loners like me might need to take a walk in nature just to be amazed by this wonderful world that we live in.
I have been accused of taking too many “happy pills”. But the lady accusing me was wearing a badge that said: “You can't piss me off, I am on Prozac.” It is all about perspective, the angle or lens that we use to look at things. My outlook might border on the rosy and sunny side of life but that is how I like it. I am one of those lucky ones that actually had a wonderful life so far. My childhood was fantastic and sorry for my siblings, I happened to be my parents favourite on top of it. Why do I get these funny looks when I say that I enjoyed school and actually did my school work? Is it so unusual to have a stunning job and to enjoy getting up in the morning to go to work?
How about an enjoyable retirement? That is what I am looking at now. Imagine being able to do what your hobby is – I like exploring, history, the countryside, books, photography and writing. I will just need something to distract my wife and give me the chance to do all of these things. Maybe she can continue working and I can take early retirement? Either way it sounds very promising to me. Just the excitement of learning all these new skills make me want to giggle. Sorry, those happy pills affecting me again. While some people are counting down the days to the end of the Mayan Calendar, I am looking to an exciting future of combining all my favourite pass-times into a retirement hobby.
Any change brings some uncertainty and a little doubt. To help me through this transition I am going to employ another of my magic tricks: Putting up a wish-list to guide my thoughts and lubricate my dreams. This is no big deal, just a few thoughts scribbled on a piece of the proverbial paper that I can cast out into the world and connect with the energy grid of the universe. By setting up this path back to the basis of my dream, like-minded energy will flow towards me and energise these wishes to grow. As they grow more energy will be channelled towards them allowing the more viable wishes to grow faster than the others and taking me into the right direction for my retirement. The growth of this energy grid comes with another advantage, it draws the right people to cross your path at the right time to help you achieve the right things when you need it. If this sounds too hocus-pocus and New-Age for you, just try it on a simple wish and see what happens. After all, what do you have to loose by making a wish like that?
These are my silly little wishes for 2012:
To love and respect everybody that comes in contact with me.
To live and make the most of every day.
To write from the heart in the simplest possible language.
To help others publish their work.
To honestly record the stories that come to me.
To listen to the voices from the past.
To ask for the information that I need.
To share these stories with everyone that wants to listen.
May all your wishes come true in 2012.
At the end of a year as activities wind down, those extra hours of time seem to magnify this situation. For example while I am writing here, thinking about the future my wife is paging through pictures of our children when they were kids. I am sure it is a good thing to take a look where we come from because it gives us some direction of where we want to go in the future. For me, however it is not much more than a glance over the shoulder. Is it wrong to dig in the past and relive every detail of what happened yesterday and the day before? No, of course there is no wrong or right here. Each one of us do what we need to do.
There are days that I dig in the past. To be honest many days I dig in the distant past, hundreds of years before I was born – but this is not a direct emotional need that I have, it is part of the research that I am doing for my book. If you work as a historian, then that is what you do and you dig in other peoples past. This is like doing it as a hobby, in other words as a form of entertainment. Not surprising that I enjoy watching the History Channel in stead of the latest football match. Professional historians on the other hand might get home after a tough day at the museum and enjoy a game of football to unwind. What I am trying to say is that this kind of digging in other peoples past is different and might not have anything to do with your own emotions about past events.
A final thought about digging into your own history is also a cautionary note. Do just enough digging to satisfy your own needs. It could become a bit of a twilight zone where some sad events can take on a life of its own and you could find yourself being drawn deeper into the shadows of your own mind. Try and be realistic about those emotions, don't let them drag you down and if your soul starts feeling heavy in your chest, it is time for a break. Watch out for the dark spiral that pulls you down and makes it more and more difficult to escape. If you feel this spiral is pulling you down, call “time out”, move back to the sunshine and find some people to talk to. Some loners like me might need to take a walk in nature just to be amazed by this wonderful world that we live in.
I have been accused of taking too many “happy pills”. But the lady accusing me was wearing a badge that said: “You can't piss me off, I am on Prozac.” It is all about perspective, the angle or lens that we use to look at things. My outlook might border on the rosy and sunny side of life but that is how I like it. I am one of those lucky ones that actually had a wonderful life so far. My childhood was fantastic and sorry for my siblings, I happened to be my parents favourite on top of it. Why do I get these funny looks when I say that I enjoyed school and actually did my school work? Is it so unusual to have a stunning job and to enjoy getting up in the morning to go to work?
How about an enjoyable retirement? That is what I am looking at now. Imagine being able to do what your hobby is – I like exploring, history, the countryside, books, photography and writing. I will just need something to distract my wife and give me the chance to do all of these things. Maybe she can continue working and I can take early retirement? Either way it sounds very promising to me. Just the excitement of learning all these new skills make me want to giggle. Sorry, those happy pills affecting me again. While some people are counting down the days to the end of the Mayan Calendar, I am looking to an exciting future of combining all my favourite pass-times into a retirement hobby.
Any change brings some uncertainty and a little doubt. To help me through this transition I am going to employ another of my magic tricks: Putting up a wish-list to guide my thoughts and lubricate my dreams. This is no big deal, just a few thoughts scribbled on a piece of the proverbial paper that I can cast out into the world and connect with the energy grid of the universe. By setting up this path back to the basis of my dream, like-minded energy will flow towards me and energise these wishes to grow. As they grow more energy will be channelled towards them allowing the more viable wishes to grow faster than the others and taking me into the right direction for my retirement. The growth of this energy grid comes with another advantage, it draws the right people to cross your path at the right time to help you achieve the right things when you need it. If this sounds too hocus-pocus and New-Age for you, just try it on a simple wish and see what happens. After all, what do you have to loose by making a wish like that?
These are my silly little wishes for 2012:
To love and respect everybody that comes in contact with me.
To live and make the most of every day.
To write from the heart in the simplest possible language.
To help others publish their work.
To honestly record the stories that come to me.
To listen to the voices from the past.
To ask for the information that I need.
To share these stories with everyone that wants to listen.
May all your wishes come true in 2012.
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