What I Leave Behind...

Hey, that sounds like a good book title.

It's the subject of this blog post. I'm not going to wax prosaically about my goals and hopes for the new year (I have to do that for my post on Smack Dab in the Middle blog so I'm not going to cheat and do it here too. Besides, more is learned looking both back and forward. Here's what I (happily in most cases) leave behind:

1. Politics. National, local, within groups, with family, with anything. Let's all move on.

2. Hurts. Whether physical - my knee and stomach- I've taken charge of my ailments and thankfully can say that I'm feeling better, emotional - I'm singing that "Let It Go" song a lot under my breath, professional - I'm following New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick's mantra: "We're onto the next game" or personal - not comparing myself, my achievements to anyone else. I have my own universe with many possible alternative paths.

3. Some manuscripts. Either the time is not right to revise them, or I'm simply not feeling it, they'll collect dust in the drawer. I'll move onto new projects which excite me and are a better use of my time. Who knows, maybe 50 years after my death a family member will discover them and I'll be hailed as a literary icon. (Hey, it could happen!)

4.  Stupid arguments with people who only want to argue, not seriously discuss a subject. I mean really, Deflategate was bogus and some NFL fans need to freaking move on. Trump is the president, work with what is, not what you wish was. NJ will always suck at reducing taxes, electing governors, and cleaning out corruption. There are so many more, but you know this.

5.  Things that don't fit. That means cleaning out the clothes closet and donating them, or drifting away from friends who are heading in opposite directions, getting out of organizations/groups that aren't beneficial anymore, and anything that wastes my time, like books that bore me, movies that I have no interest in, and doing things I don't want to do. You get the pic. Anything that doesn't fit only ends up hurting you.

Moving on is the theme. Next week, it's a fresh start. New list of possibilities. An open arena of experiences to try. A world full of people to meet.

Photo courtesy of Pexels.com 

Wishing you all the best for 2018-

Char