Looking Back - Looking Forward

Taken enroute back to Calgary from our Wellness meeting in Edmonton in November
The highway ahead promised new goals to be met while reflecting under the sunset of the year past.

REFLECTING ON THE YEAR THAT WAS

I have written before about preserving our past by telling life stories to family members and friends that paint a picture with words – so what we have lived will not be lost. (You can read more about that here.)

On a more immediate scale, as we approach the end of 2024 and look forward to 2025 with new hopes and aspirations – it is important not just to consider our own year in review, but to consider our loved ones, our friends, and our former colleagues as well.

Our lives always have ups and downs as we travel through the years. Sadly, we are not able to turn the clock back for a do over, but through positivity, creativity, and support, we can make the future as rewarding and comfortable as possible.

For many, 2024 may have been a wonderful year. Perhaps you welcomed new grandchildren or learned a new hobby. Maybe you travelled to new destinations or fulfilled your resolutions for better physical, mentally, and spiritual health. As 2024 comes to a close, you may even be able to say with confidence, “It was a very good year. It was a year to celebrate life!”

For some of us though, and those we cherish, 2024 may have been a challenging year. Many struggled with poor health, personal loss, and emotional difficulty as we watched and read the constant bombardment of stressful news both at home and abroad. This year saw many troubling world events, including the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, catastrophic weather events that displaced tens of thousands, as well as protests and campus disruptions here in Canada that sowed division and created an angry mentality towards one another. Canadians became more divided than ever over ideology: conservative vs. liberal; east vs. west; urban vs. rural, to name a few. We heard daily updates from our neighbours to the south as they experienced a bitter political campaign culminating in the November election that in some ways was a mirror of our own country’s divisions. In Canada, many turned against new Canadians as a threat to our way of life and prosperity. Education was a flash point as schools were, in many cases, blamed for turning people away from traditional Canadian values. Labour strikes, supply chain issues, along with significant global events – they all contributed to a higher cost of living that caused much stress as the year went on.

Holidays are notorious for being a stressful time for many of us. It may be the first time without a loved one by our side. We may face physical challenges to travel or to be with family. We may be facing the prospect of downsizing and moving from our home we have lived in for years or decades – for some, where we raised our children.

Seeking the support of friends and family or providing it to others can reduce this stress.

REFLECTING ON THE YEAR AHEAD

If nothing else, retirement affords us time to consider what we have accomplished and what is left to do. As we consider the year ahead, think about what you can do to help those around you live their lives to the fullest. You might consider lending an ear or a helping hand to your friends and neighbours or do so on a larger scale by volunteering. Try asking strangers who appear in distress if they are okay. If they aren’t, do what you can to seek help for them. Take some baking over to a neighbour ‘just because’ or have coffee with a former colleague or friend to catch up. Thank first responders for their service. Read a story to a child in a library. Fill a bag for the food bank. These are just ideas. If you aren’t in a position to help others, sometimes it can be enough to just have a ready smile for those around you.

A Helping Hand

A Smile

Ron Jeffery
1972

A smile can be elusive
it often hides behind tears;

A smile can be inconclusive,
It often covers fears;

A smile can be deceiving,
Not coming from deep inside;

A smile can be reassuring,
To someone you love and hold dear;

A smile can bring two together,
As friends or lovers to share;

So why is a smile often lacking,
In a world that supposedly cares?

Understand smiling needs lots of people,
To make it a workable thing;

So smile when you see the next person,
And a smile I will bet you it brings.

Please though, don’t forget yourself! Turn off the news for a few days and read that book you have sitting on your shelf or on your e-reader. Book that massage you’ve been thinking about to finally ease your sore muscles. Pamper yourself to a mani-pedi or eat that rich desert you were avoiding (there are always wonderful alternatives!). Plan a visit to visit your children/grandchildren or take a bucket list trip. Re-connect with that old high school friend! Plan to join ARTA members on our Heart and Sole wellness walk later next spring, or perhaps send in an entry to the ARTA photo or writing contests to share your perspective with others!

ARTA/ CRTA Wellness Walk, 2024 in N. Glenmore Park

Me Time!

The one thing we can all do this December is to make plans to fulfill our dreams and goals for 2025 and help ensure it is a great year!

Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year!

Ron Jeffery B.A.; M.Ed.
Wellness Committee Chair