Did I Tell You About My....

It is a few days past New Year's Day.  The Holiday season is about done.  We still have a trip to Pullman the end of this week to visit with family there and have a late Christmas with them.
I don't think I made any resolutions again this year.
Not that I don't need any.  But I don't know about setting goals with the turn of the calendar.  Why not decide to make changes when you see changes need to be made?  Why not another calendar-related occasion?  Your birthday, or in the fall when the school season begins.
Or, again, why not when you do some introspection and come to realize that there are some things you can do to help you be a better person.

Oh, I think this time of year is often a time of reflection and introspection.  Good thing, as long as we remember that the view forward through the proverbial windshield is much larger and more important than the minimized view we get from the rear view mirror.  We sometimes spend too much energy on fretting about what has gone before (objects in mirror are larger than they appear-at least in our minds sometimes).
Maybe we need to spend a bit more time  and energy on creating what we can as we go forward.

A couple of thoughts from the past few days-

I read that Benjamin Franklin would ask himself two questions every day.
In the morning-"What Good shall I do today?
In the evening- "What Good have I done today?

I think this is a good place to start-to have some daily introspection about if we have done "Good".
And if you need definition of "Good", just sing to yourself some of the lines to "Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?"  "Good" has to do with serving others, being uplifting, sharing burdens, etc.  If you want a chuckle, find the "old" lyrics to this hymn...

OK-I will let you in on one thing I have been trying to do better in the past few weeks.  It seems, whenever I am conversing, that it is easy to act like Topper--the guy who sometimes makes appearances in Dilbert.  Whatever you have done, achieved, accomplished, -I have done better.  A patient tells me about his bike riding, and I feel the need to tell him about the miles I put in (in a most humble way, of course!).  Brag on your grandkids, well, just wait as I tell you how amazingly marvelous mine are. When we were new grandparents, I even resorted to bragging about how well our grandbabies could fill their diapers in response to other new grandparents letting me know how their two year old grandbabies were reading Shakespeare and playing Mozart. You get the idea.  I know when I am doing this because the person I am talking with starts to get the glazed look in his eyes.

I know that we all benefit from others listening to and hearing us and helping build us up.  But-that is our job to do for others.  So, I have been really trying to not "Topper" others, but to listen and compliment others on their conquests and achievements.
I have noticed, as I have made an effort to do this, that-now don't be surprised-I am not at all diminished when I let others feel good about themselves!  And I actually feel great when I help them recognize what they have accomplished, how they have grown, what good they have done!

I read once that Mark Twain said he could live a whole month on a good compliment.  My experience is that this is about right.  I am learning that it is grand to be the source of those compliments for others-even if I just acknowledge their bragging about themselves.  I don't need to outdo them to have a sense of self worth, and I can be supportive of them.
Of course, this has to be done sincerely, and that is tough sometimes.

OK-enough rambling for now.

If you make resolutions for the New Year, good for you!  I hope we all take the opportunity to check in daily and think about the Good we can do and the Good we have done.

And, when you have a minute, ask me about my grandkids, kids, cabin, most recent home repair, bike ride, hike or, especially, my wife!