Welcome to 2019, a year of renewal2018 was a tough year for many. I would call my 2018 a mixed bag. Not terrible. Not great. I lost a lot of fitness. I gained some weight. I made some friend. I lost some friends. I watched friends and family deal with losses and struggles. I dealt with my own losses. My oldest daughter got engaged. She also graduated from college. And got her first “adult” job. My son has found his adult niche and happpiness in hist professional life. My younger daughter continues to amaze with her battles against her fears. My wife went through a difficult work transition in which she left one job without a safety net for her principles. She landed back in a Kindergarten Classroom after almost 15 years away. I have watched her succeed, and in many ways blossom in ways that she did not during her first stint as a Kindergarten teacher. So while there have been some negatives in 2018, I have to look at the balance as a net positive for the year. Dwelling upon the negatives just feeds the dark aspects of human nature and my personality. So, I choose not to do these things. Looking forward to 2019 it is time to focus on renewing my focus on the positive things in life. Time to continue not only working to be a better me, but also to make the world around me a better place for everyone else. This year my goals are small in scale, but also simple.

• Each day, I want to bring a smile to someone else face, even if it is nothing more than a momentary bright spot in an otherwise drab day.
• Help change reduce the car usage by being one less car on the roads as often as possible (telecommuting, bicycle commuting, better route planning)
• Regain physical fitness lost in 2018, without sacrificing the mental fitness I gained.

That’s it. Nothing more. Perhaps you will join me. Perhaps you won’t. Either way, understand that when I see you this year, I hope that it is your face that I can bring a smile to.