Year End Musings

Taking Stock of the Old Year, and Plans for the New

The year 2024 is drawing to a close. But there are still a few precious days left before the whirlwind of the New Year sweeps us off again around the Sun.

I think we humans need these annual year-end markers in our lives. Just as a great symphony or other piece of music needs “rests” to help us appreciate the whole, so do we need rest. Here are five things I am focusing on this week:

1. Rest

2. Recover

3. Reconnect

4. Reflect

5. Reset

Today I am reflecting on the past year. 2024 started with the loss of my Mother, who passed away January 2nd at the age of 93. Even though she was up in years and suffering since the loss of her husband and life long companion, we still suffer when a loved one passes away.

Perhaps it is hard because subconsciously we are grieving for ourselves, recognizing that our day, too, will come. Dealing with our own mortality is sobering. But it can lead to growth and hope, too.

I started this blog in January of this year. Although my stated purpose was to publish the book I had written (and thought was done - it isn’t!), this journal has taken me down a wonderful path of exploration. I’ve found a caring community here, of old friends and new, and a way to communicate at a level I never realized existed.

Thank you so much for being a part of this Community, for reading, listening, commenting, and sharing. And a special thank you to those new Substack friends and fellow writers who have shared their own stories and journals. I feel like we are old friends now! Wouldn’t it be fun if we could all get together for tea or a drink?

[A Cooper’s Hawk just flew by my window. I’ll post some video of him (or her?) soon. Somehow I think he’s a she; pronouns are awful! We need at least another set of pronouns that don’t discriminate by sex. Often times the sex of a person or bird is irrelevant.]

The goal of this journal was never to make money, but rather just to share my experiences and connect with others. This blog will remain free! But I’d be lying if I said I don’t care how many folks read what I write. I do! So here are the basic stats for this journal:

First post: January 16, 2024

Number of posts: 336 (this is the 337th post)

Subscribers: 144

Followers: 411

By writing daily I have become more aware of how I am spending this precious time that we each have here on Earth. And because I enjoy sharing things with you it’s made me much more active.

While much of our travel this year was planned before I started writing, those trips have been much richer because of YOU! Knowing that I had so many dear Readers along made me much more conscientious about maximizing and documenting each opportunity of every trip.

Some of this year’s travel highlights include:

Mexico Xoloapan: God Over the Water

Kauai Under the Banyan; The Incredible Birds of Hawaii

Rome Ara Pacis: A hidden Gem on the banks of the Tiber

Cape Cod A Day on Martha’s Vineyard

Danube Day 1 Budapest

I also enjoyed my time in the outdoors. I’ve discovered the value of walking outside in nature, and how much it can help us focus outside of ourselves. The Walk to Mirador Quetzal . Weekday Walk to the Lagoon The journey inside ourselves is as amazing as the journeys we take in the physical world.

I especially enjoyed exploring the idea of Free Will. Do We Have Free Will? It was one of my most popular posts. I promise you we are NOT done with that subject! {I can hear the groans from the BW! You don’t have to read it Honey!} It’s all part of the Journey, as I pointed out in The Secret to a Happy Successful Life.

And my gardening has taken on a new vitality thanks to You~! Planting a Rock Garden in Mudluscious Time.

I had so much fun this year walking at Kensington Metropark, learning to feed the birds right from my hand. A Bird in the Hand

400 Years in America

While I did get some chapters of the book published, frankly the book has taken a backseat to the blog. But some of those chapters have been my most read entries, including Let Freedom Ring! The Air War over Europe.

Books: I fell in love with Robert Louis Stevenson this year. Who was RLS’ Wife? So many books…

It’s really been a very interesting year.

“What’s ahead in 2025” you ask?

It’s gonna be a Great Year!

We are starting out in Egypt, so expect some posts on New Year’s Eve from the Paris Airport, and Cairo on New Year’s Day. Then on to Mexico where this blog was born, including a side trip to San Miguel de Allende. We’ll be returning to Kauai in April, and lots of sailing on Lake Erie.

Then a big trip to Greece with the Grandkids in July, starting in Athens. I can’t wait to share some pictures with you of the Acropolis and the new nearby Museum.

In December we’ll be returning to Europe for a Viking Christmas Cruise from Amsterdam to Basel.

And somewhere in there we will have a series of posts with some of my friends about Morocco!

My days here on Earth are running out. Need to make the most of it.

The sun is out! Time for a quick walk!

Thanks so much for Traveling Along~!

Credits:

This post is based in part on ideas generated by reading Productive Flourishing: Let’s Trade “Just Do It” for “Just Don’t”. Worth a read for year end reflections.

Opening Photo: The Blue Marble is a famous photograph of the Earth taken on December 7, 1972, by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft en route to the Moon at a distance of about 29,400 kilometres (18,300 mi). It shows Africa, Antarctica, and the Arabian Peninsula. Public Domain.

PS: This Journal reads better in the App. The version there will be more current and updated to correct those pesky typos that always try to sneak in!