Tis the Holiday Season!

Once again, we reach the end of the year.  There is truth to what our parents told us, in that the older we get the quicker time seems to move – even though every day has the same 24 hours!  Starting around Thanksgiving, this is definitely a fun time of the year.  For some, this is a lousy time of the year.  While some people will evaluate what they have not done, others will revel in the things that were accomplished during the year.  Either way, during the next few weeks, enjoying the holiday season will be done side-by-side with much holiday cheer to spread around.

This year, I am apart from my family during some of the eight days of Chanukah.  This is not the first time – sometimes work requires me to travel.  I do enjoy the fact that I can carry a menorah (Hanukiah) with me wherever I may go.  However, it is not the same as lighting the candles as a family, watching the excitement as the girls open theirs gifts, and, believe it or not, watching the dogs wagging their tails with excitement when it is their turn to open a gift.  Before heading out, we kind of lit the candles as a family, even if we had to FaceTime with Bec who is away at school.  Bec is the safety conscious one and always ensures that the candles are properly secured before the first candle is lit.  As when the girls were young, one of them used to blow out the match.  With the distance between us, Bec was still able to blow out the match (yup, some Daddy-magic still exists).

As always, we have choices – either to lament the time we sometimes must be apart from each other, or to hold onto the memories that we have created together.  I always go with the latter.  At the end of the year, the holiday season is a great time to reflect on the previous 11 months.  While the path of least resistance is to “bitch and moan” about missed opportunities, bad choices and spend time playing the blame game, let us all use the time to focus on the things that did come our way this year.  The season of cheer should be filled with remembering the positive things, no matter how small and insignificant they may seem.  This is a good way to reflect on the year and a great way to step into 2019!

Have fun, party responsibly and most important, enjoy your respective holidays…I know that I will as I have many things to be happy about, things I am grateful for and a wonderful family to share my life with.

The Music That We Listen To

I like music, I play musical instruments, I play in a band, and, I like listening to music.  We had the chance to see 77-year-old Bob Dylan perform this week, where he played the music he wanted to in his own way.  It was great to see him doing that which he does best.  This has capped off a year of seeing performers that we have not seen before who may not have many touring years ahead of them.  There is nothing like seeing music live (i.e., without a net), and more importantly, the people perform the music that they were successful with.

Many of the musicians that we grew up listening to are 15 to 20 years older than I am.  Which means, unfortunately, that those who are still on the road performing have less time on stage before them than the careers that they blazed behind them.  Some, to use the old imagery, have traded in their instruments of choice for the hand-held harp.  I am fortunate to have seen many musicians play live (there is nothing like good live music), while there are some who I procrastinated on and will never have the opportunity to see perform live.

Twice I have dreamed of bands I will never see – Louis Armstrong and the Beatles.  As weird as that is (especially for someone who has vivid dreams), a dream will be as close as I will get to see them play.  That does not make up for the fact of not seeing them live.  In these two cases, I was way too young to see either of these before their demise.  How many times in our lives do we, however, miss the opportunities that are before us, hold off on participating while thinking that there will be a next time, or place some excuse between us and the things we strive for?

After seeing Tom Petty a few weeks before his untimely death, it became clear that the musicians we listen to will not be around forever.  Of course, this is true in all endeavors in our lives for wherever our pursuits and hobbies take us.  To make the effort, and sometimes it is an effort, to step out of our comfort zones, to strive to see whomever we wish to see, to meet the people we wish to meet, or experience the things we wish to, we need to put the time aside, make the appropriate plans and take the actions necessary; Otherwise, the day will come where the opportunity will have passed and we are left with the regret of not doing what we wanted to do.  Go out and hear that live music.  Go out and take that opportunity.  Go out and live the life you deserve. 

Gratitude Department

As we all gathered around the Thanksgiving Day table with family and/or friends, I hope that your thoughts were not only on the bounty that laid in front of you.  This is one day in the year where we can set everything aside to be grateful for what we have, be grateful for the people who have touched our lives and be grateful for those who are around us.  This is also the time of year where, hopefully, you have thought of those less fortunate and have taken the time to help at a food bank/shelter, donated to a food drive or were involved in an adopt-a-family program.  It is not only important that we enjoy this feast, but also that we give someone that is in a lesser situation the opportunity to enjoy a special meal with their family and/or friends as well.

There have been times in my life, when I was at a Thanksgiving Day meal, where the host went around the room and asked everyone to say what they are grateful for.  The pressure to perform and stand up with some comment was always tough.  To compress an entire year into a single sentence of thankfulness is not a simple task.  I was never a fan of doing this as I did not want to leave anyone out, sound goofy or feel uncomfortable.  Being thankful and showing gratitude is not something to be condensed into a single moment where some of the people, or events, are not even present to be the recipient of the words being spoken.  I opt for being able to express your gratitude throughout the year and to the people you wish to express it to.

Remember, do not wait until a specific time of year to be grateful/thankful.  Thank people when they have done something good, for they will be happy someone has recognized their efforts.  Acknowledge the people you work with for putting in an extra effort.  Remember to express gratitude to your family members, who sometimes, not meaning to, we might take for granted.  They are specifically the people we spend most of our time with, get to live with when going through tough times and the ones who provide daily support.  Remember to say those two simple words, “Thank You,” when someone does something good.  It is sometimes the smallest gestures of gratitude that can lead to the biggest impacts.  Remember to have an attitude of gratitude in this season of thankfulness.