NYE

I have some interesting observations to share from the holidays. I got an email selling tickets for a NYE ( New Year’s Eve) party to ring in 2019. There are no takers here, everyone that I am involved with avoids crowds and shuns hours long events. I am preparing for New Year’s Day black eyed peas and greens to get a fresh start with 2018 in the rear view mirror. It’s interesting that we celebrate the night before -or not, as older people go to bed before the parties get started at 9pm.

When I was in FedEx, printing a photo to frame for a Christmas gift, I saw a sign. It was simple, “No shipping services are allowed without a photo ID”.  At the same time, Governor Cooper vetoed the constitutional amendment on a Voter ID law, that the people approved on the 11/6 Election Day to require Voter IDs. I think the legislature will over ride it, but why would anyone think sending a package should require more identification than voting in an election?

When I was in a specialty shoe store, I looked down at the clerk’s boots and thought- she needs to buy a pair from her employer. They were visibly falling apart, the outer layer peeling off and not providing a good impression.  A few weeks later, I was at a restaurant for a meal when the waitress walks back and forth with a Boatyard Bar and Grill t-shirt on. It was a nice looking shirt, but it was advertising for another business within 10 miles. It struck me that we don’t see ourselves as others do or realize the subtle messages we are sending with our clothing.

I see a lot of things that don’t make much sense, but I am glad to say with confidence that they do not have to line up with my logic. I am thankful that my whole life looks totally different from what it did one year ago.  But, after giving it some thought, it looks just like I would have wanted it to, if I had written down a 5 yr plan in 2014.

Enjoy the simple pleasures and allow things you can’t understand or control,  to “just be”.

I think we could all do well to read Dr. Jordan Peterson’s book, The 12 Rules for Life, An Antidote to Chaos.

See more here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vAat1HQU0M&feature=youtu.be

https://jordanbpeterson.com/12-rules-for-life/

Tell the truth.
Do not do things that you hate.
Act so that you can tell the truth about how you act.
Pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient.
If you have to choose, be the one who does things, instead of the one who is seen to do things.
Pay attention.
Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you need to know. Listen to them hard enough so that they will share it with you.
Plan and work diligently to maintain the romance in your relationships.
Be careful who you share good news with.
Be careful who you share bad news with.
Make at least one thing better every single place you go.
Imagine who you could be, and then aim single-mindedly at that.
Do not allow yourself to become arrogant or resentful.
Try to make one room in your house as beautiful as possible.
Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.
Work as hard as you possibly can on at least one thing and see what happens.
If old memories still make you cry, write them down carefully and completely.
Maintain your connections with people.
Do not carelessly denigrate social institutions or artistic achievement.
Treat yourself as if you were someone that you are responsible for helping.
Ask someone to do you a small favour, so that he or she can ask you to do one in the future.
Make friends with people who want the best for you.
Do not try to rescue someone who does not want to be rescued, and be very careful about rescuing someone who does.
Nothing well done is insignificant.
Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.
Dress like the person you want to be.
Be precise in your speech.
Stand up straight with your shoulders back.
Don’t avoid something frightening if it stands in your way — and don’t do unnecessarily dangerous things.
Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them.
Do not transform your wife into a maid.
Do not hide unwanted things in the fog.
Notice that opportunity lurks where responsibility has been abdicated.
Read something written by someone great.
Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street.
Do not bother children when they are skateboarding.
Don’t let bullies get away with it.
Write a letter to the government if you see something that needs fixing — and propose a solution.
Remember that what you do not yet know is more important than what you already know.
Be grateful in spite of your suffering.

Follow him on YouTube: Jordan B Peterson

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, his new book (Penguin/Random House), is based on a dozen of these rules.