We Should All Resolve to Appreciate What We Have.

Every year millions of people die of diseases that could have been prevented if only they had kept their New Years Resolutions. Millions more die from events that were out of their control. Life is always rough on people with diabetes, obesity and Heart Disease. This past year many of them took their last painful breaths alone. This past year saw a record number of people passing away without anyone to hold their hands. A record number of people were unable to visit sick relatives in the hospital or attend in person funerals. We are surrounded by people dealing with grief and financial problems. Try to cut people some slack when they act a little grumpy in public. The pain of losing a loved on often last more than a whole year. Resolve to be gentle with yourself. The grieving won't last forever.

Some of us like saying that Covid-19 is a plandemic that is somehow connected to politics. Some say wearing mask is an affront to our civil liberties, Some of us are scared of the vaccine. None of these pieces of rhetoric will make Covid-19 any less deadly. Perhaps blaming Some government (or The government as it is often called as if we only have one government on earth) does make some people feel better or more in control on some level but this rhetoric can also distract from the importance of taking precautions that can actually give you real control rather than just a vague sense of it.

On the other hand wearing mask doesn't really protect you from Covid-19 and no vaccine is 100 percent effective. We need to acknowledge that some things are out of our control. We all have to die eventually. Many of us don't like the way the world is setup. Why should we have to die and pay taxes? Why can't the real world match our personal preferences about how the ideal world can be? These questions have answers but many of us don't like them. There is nothing any of us can do to stop death. We can seek comfort in the people that are still alive and maybe the hope of an afterlife. We can also see healthy living in a new light. Everyone knows you have to die from something but its not just about dying it's also about the pain and suffering. Its difficult to find enjoyment in taking insulin shots and living through heart attacks. There isn't much peace of mind when you don't know where your next breath is coming from.

The last time we had a global pandemic there was no such thing as Zoom, Skype or Facetime. Either you saw someone in person or you wrote them a letter. If you were lucky, you might be able to call them on the telephone. Today modern technology allows us to straddle the line between being apart and being together. Church services and funerals can be conducted via the internet. This is something wonderful that should be cherished. By now most of us have learned that working from home and homeschooling don't actually eliminate the worst parts of working and going to school. Snow days are unlikely to return even well after the most disadvantaged students ae finally returned to school. Some of us have finally discovered that online shopping is not so bad. Others are still holding out hoping that once the vaccines are distributed that they can once again return to the mall.

We have known for a while that the internet can bring out the worst in people. We need to start being careful about what we post. I used to always tell my children" Before you say something you should ask yourself if it is true necessary and kind. It didn't work. The cool cynics of the world don't want to hear all those positive goody two-shoe kumbaya platitudes so maybe I should start saying " Be careful what bullshit you launch into cyberspace some crazy motherfucker might just throw it at a fan near you". Ok maybe that's too far in the other direction. How about "Your words are like a knife, you can use them to prepare a scrumptious meal , make sure you don't cut off your thumb in the process". Too gruesome ? Let's try The internet is a powerful tool respect it and use it well.

We don't need any more stress. Let's not worry about our weight. This year we should just appreciate the fact that we have one of the best problems in the world. Too much food means you will never have to worry about starving to death. Lets focus on sharing our food with those less fortunate and spending time with our loved ones. We don't need to beat ourselves up about our bad habits. We can just try our best to appreciate the air we breathe. The world won't stop spinning if we take a year off from trying to change everything.