Greetings Palooke followers, subscribers, and those who silently lurk about the website! It feels great to be back writing to you all. I hope you enjoyed your holidays; I certainly enjoyed mine. The last three months of the year are always the most fun for me because of the back-to-back holidays and the festive atmosphere this creates. It only seems right that we should end each year in celebration. I love spending time with my family, eating great food, putting up decorations and posting pictures on Facebook and Instagram to show that my family is cooler than everyone else’s family. What’s not to love?
Although I do love this time of year, paradoxically, amidst the joy of the season, this can also be a difficult time for me. I don’t know about you, but for me, the end of the year invites, even demands, introspection and reflection. While I reflect on the many wonderful blessings the year brought and personal growth I experienced, I also find myself reflecting on the not-so good aspects of the year. I am reminded of what I’ve lost, disappointments I experienced and dreams not yet realized. As I leave one year I am forced to accept the fact that certain things will not be realized in 2015. Thankfully, this is not where the story ends. With the end of one year brings the beginning of a new year and renewed hope. And this hope is contagious. We all are infected by it when we set out once again to create and achieve our resolutions.
As I reflected on this yearly cycle, of aspiring, attaining and being disappointed, I realized that this is also the cycle of life. Although each person’s rhythm and cycle may be different, at any given moment we are somewhere in the dream cycle of either creating it, attaining it or faced with disappointment because of it. The key to success is to not let the phase of disappointment knock us out of the cycle. We must understand, like each year, that the end of one thing also means the hope of a new thing, a new dream or another chance to “get it right.” If you continue to push past the hurt and disappointment that the end may bring, I assure you there will be a new year, with new seasons. This is true not only in nature, but in humanity.
So, no matter where you may be in your dream cycle, continue to hold on to your hope. I do not say this for the sake of sentimentality. To view hope in that way is to undermine its true nature. The truth is sometimes being hopeful is the most courageous act you can do. Therefore, live life courageously. Keep your hope, and stay in the dream cycle. And of course have a Happy New Year!
–Until Next Time–
Palooke
