I've been struggling for the right tone for this post. Without seeming negative, I think we all can agree that 2024 was a trying year for a lot of people. While I still remain positive most days (with the help of anxiety meds), I can't help but think of so many people have had a trying time, whether it be health issues, money issues, relationships, jobs, clients or the future and what it holds. Let's start with the latter and go back.

I've always looked forward in hope than look backward in regret. The past is something none of us can change. But we can have a lot of input towards what the future will bring. It starts with your mental awareness and how we react. Lori and I have developed a method in our daily routine that helps us cope with issues that may come up. Start with an early morning exercise I refer to as my calm hour. Coffee in your favorite cup, maybe some zen music to help your brain process the day ahead. No phones, no TV, nothing. The side effect of aforementioned anxiety meds is that you wake up with a hangover. It's real. So I have to be careful to not over stimulate. Think-fishing at your favorite spot. Now I don't fish but I've watched enough Babe Winkleman to know the main ingredient here is calm. If this means you wake up 30 minutes earlier ~then do it. And practice this routine everyday. It definitely sets a necessary element that is the right path for a good day.

At this point in my life (I believe I'm 57), the amount of stress I can inhale is equal to how well I'm performing with our clients. I've been fortunate enough to be able to make a decent living in helping others, and while we've lost about 40% of our client base, I now look at it as an opportunity to concentrate on work/life balance. Since the pandemic, this has held true to a lot of families. But why does it seem like most families are struggling to live their life?

My recent trip back home was uplifting as I got to see our son, which we haven't seen since 2021. He's now moved back to Illinois-in the heart of downtown Chicago. He, too, was tired of being hours away from friends and family. Since my main purpose was to get my mom settled into a new facility on this trip, I realized that old age can be ugly. Not with the aches and pains and loss of stamina. I'm talking with the mind. I know she's had dementia for a few years but mom is 87 years old and she can be a handful sometimes. I have so much more respect for caregivers of the elderly now. Their patience. Their calming tone. I said that word again. Calm. It got me through the final day there as I was so incredibly hurt I could hardly breathe. I said my goodbyes to her not knowing if I'd see her again. She pouted. I've given her a lot these last 30+ years. I got in my car and drove.......14 hours back home. I was home again. Where Lori and I live our lives, not fancy, maybe repetitive, but boy howdy~ did I miss home. The old me of a couple of years ago may have fallen hard into a depression, but this time, I was stronger. Maybe it was Lori's assurance that we did the right thing. Maybe it was just being exhausted but something was surely different. I was so sad that mom could be so mean. Will I end up like this? A burden to a few friends and family that I have left? God I hope not.

What I did find back home was solid relationships with Lori's family. Thanksgiving was incredible, even if the Bears shat the bed. Also connected with a few very close friends for a night of great conversation and laughs. Something we used to do a few days a week was now just spending a few hours a year. Again. It's all relative to how your process this valuable time with family & friends.

I'll just say with the money issues that we and most every American has had the past few years is how we process when we have it but more importantly when we have less of it. I don't care about money, therefore I have zero issues with it. I just want to be able to pay my bills and take my wife someplace nice every few months. This year when we needed it, Lori just went back to the workforce outside the home. This was the most difficult. I felt lonely. I felt defeated. Gladly though, she's back home now where she belongs. Where WE belong.

As we get older, the health issues seem to gain momentum. But I've found that the #1 contributor to bad health is Stress. Once you find that perfect work/life balance and feel confident in your decisions, the health issues that once dictated how you live seem to dissipate. Enthusiasm is contagious. Where once I felt hopeless, I now feel gratitude for what I do have. They call it Thanksgiving for a reason.

In the coming year, I hope to find my mojo again with music, with my relationships that are so dear to me and begin the process of downsizing to a smaller home, possibly in the Pensacola,Fla. area. I love our gypsy spirit we both have. But most of all, I love us.

Here's to the new year and hope that all of you reading this have a better 2025.