Wrapping It Up

Well, that was interesting.  This year came and went in the blink of an eye it seems.  I like to take some time and reflect on the prior year over the holidays.  Reflection has served me well.  I’m not interested in sharing how many times I made it to the gym, or how many books I read - but I do take note of these things.  Maybe you keep tabs on your own list of things.

A year is made up of 365 days (366 this year).  I’m pleased with how many of them I used with intention, focus and energy.  Each of those days is made up of subunits…whether we call them “hours,” “minutes,” “seconds,” they really all boil down to moments.  I did a solid job of being present and intentional, moment-to-moment, this past year.

I have spent enough time worrying about future troubles, and fretting about past mistakes to recognize how many moments I have squandered in my life.  2024 is the year where I not only recognized this for the waste that it is, but managed to meaningfully change my behavior.  I enjoyed myself quite a lot as a result.  The highs were perhaps not quite as a high, but there were very few lows.

In the days ahead I have more to do to button down the year, and set my intentions for 2025.  We never know how many days we have left.  With each passing year I take more seriously how I use every moment.  For mundane tasks, I am ruthlessly efficient.  Then I try to savor the good stuff.  Semi-tangential, but everyone should check out The Nokbox.  Trust me, this is time well-spent - for you and your loved ones.

As I was driving around yesterday, wearing a tee shirt with the windows down on a 63-degree December day, I thought to myself “Wow, this feels really weird.”  Then I put on some sunscreen and went about the rest of my day.

One thing that I try to do at the end of each year is to review any automated, recurring expenses (from things like subscriptions) to see if I should cancel any of them.  This year I have decided to cancel my subscription to MailChimp, the service I have been using to send many of you these weekly essays.  I’m not going to stop writing them, I’m just not going to pay MailChimp to send them to you.  For the past year I’ve been posting the essays to my personal blog, at this address: (https://www.nealbell.com/blog), and I will continue to post them there.  

If you feel like you may need a weekly reminder to stay in the habit of reading this weekly essay, here is what I propose:  Set a recurring calendar reminder for Sundays at 8:30am, saying “Check out Neal’s weekly essay at www.nealbell.com/blog".  This has been my weekly publishing time for many years.  It is a hard-wired habit for me, and will continue indefinitely.  So, this is not goodbye - just a renegotiation of how you will access the essays.  I hope I don’t lose too many folks in this transition.

Sunday Supper
I made each and every comfort food dish that I shared last week.  It was fun, delicious, and exactly what I wanted to share with my family in the days leading up to Christmas.  This week we will be enjoying the one and only standing menu that we repeat each and every year - the classic Pork & Sauerkraut dinner.  I’ve detailed it in the past, so will not repeat it this week.  I love it, though.  Super great meal.  Here are some recipe ideas to explore as we transition into the New Year, post whatever indulgences you enjoy between now and Wednesday:  One Pot Chicken & Rice w/ Caramelized Lemon, Cashew Chicken Ding, and Sticky Miso Salmon Bowl.

Sunday Music
This Sunday I offer you this wonderful concert by the Brad Mehldau Trio performed earlier this Fall.  Enjoy!  

If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them. 

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,