2014: There's No Stopping It Now

As the year ends, one has no choice but to reflect on what was, and to anticipate that which is yet to come. Wipe your slate clean.  Start again.   I used to bawl my face off every New Year's Eve as I thought about the year I was leaving behind.  I'm somewhat nostalgic, and the thought of the present becoming the past with the stroke of midnight was usually more than my up-way-past-my-bedtime brain could handle. So, tears would flow. Make-up stained, I'd hug the other party people in the room (safely -as to not spill my seemingly-bottomless beverage), and would blubber away, ignoring the stares from the increasingly-concerned party guests. You'll be happy to know that I no longer celebrate the stroke of midnight in that fashion these days. Sorry folks, show's over. What was I crying about? I don't know. But I do know that in the back of my mind, I could always hear the ominous words of my dear ol' dad saying, "What are you crying about? You wanna cry? I'll give you something to cry about!" But I digress... The point is this: as of midnight, you get a do-over. We all do. Take the time to look back on the things that went well, and those that did not. Consider chances taken and opportunities missed. We don't learn from keeping our eyes on the road without ever checking the mirrors for what we've left behind. Don't dwell, but see each event --good or bad-- as a gift. Everything that you've said and done, seen and heard, tasted, sang, touched, loved, and hated, has contributed to your own personal growth. Don't regret the mistakes, learn from them. Dear Ford, I'm sounding a bit like that little weasel, Joel Osteen. I'm not trying to be all Tony Robbins on you-- oh hell, I guess I'm more like Matt Foley, (though I don't live in a van down by the river-- yet) but I really believe that each event has led to the next, and collectively, they have brought you to today. The past year has brought new people into your life, and may have ushered some of them out. Some aren't meant to be there. If I've learned anything this year, it's the true meaning behind the line of wisdom that I tell to my students on a daily basis: You can never control what someone else says or does. All you can control is how you respond. You control no one but you. I get it. The bottom line is, folks, you can't change what was, but you certainly can influence what will be. Today is graduation day as 2013 becomes 2014. Congratulations.