End of Seventeen

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When David Cassidy died in November the last thing he said before he left this world was “so much wasted time.”

Those words came back to me today as I sit in the hospital lounge waiting for 2017 to end.

The new year will start in a few hours, and while I won’t be doing much to celebrate, at least I can take stock of my life.

Since my movements are so severely restricted, I’ve been taking a closer look at what goes on in my brain and I don’t particularly like it.

I spent far too much time regurgitating the awful past in a wasted effort to rewrite my personal history. I’ve said this many times before, but I have yet to learn the lesson.

Now that I am not running around like a lunatic, I can see just how much time I’m wasting tilting at the windmills in my mind.

So I think my New Year’s resolution for 2018 is going to be very simple: stop wasting time.

I have lost a lot of time due to this accident and I will be spending most of the new year just trying to get back to where I was before the snow hit the fan.

I don’t have much say in this physical recovery, but at least I can train my mind to avoid all of these traps and pitfalls that I set up for myself.

I really can’t afford to waste any more energy on things that have already happened. I just don‘t have that luxury.

This accident has really taught me that your life can change in an instant, so whatever big plans you have, start acting on them immediately.

I am literally learning how to walk again; first with a walker and now a cane. This seems like the perfect time to rethink my thinking.

I am not making any grand pronouncements, or looking to make sweeping changes. I just want to adjust my thought patterns so that I am looking forward with hope instead of staring down to the gutter with despair.

I will be leaving rehab soon and going home. I will need to focus my energy on maintaining a safe environment, since I won’t be able to bend my knees for the next several weeks.

It will be challenging, it will be difficult, and I know in my heart it’s going to suck big time.

But I will do my best to stay focused on my recovery instead of my condition. I’m going to stop wasting time.

Happy new year.

Comments

A Cuban In London said…
Focused on recovery, rather than on condition. There's a philosophical thought there! :-)

Happy New Year! :-)

Greetings from London.
4:53 AM
Ron said…
"The new year will start in a few hours, and while I won’t be doing much to celebrate, at least I can take stock of my life."

Rob as I read this post, it seemed to me that you have MUCH to celebrate because you have learned from 2017. I have always believed that whenever we "learn" something, even from what seems like a negative experience, we grow.

And that, to me, is something to celebrate!

Bravo, my friend!

Happy New Year to you!
5:57 AM
Rob K said…
Hey, Mario! I’m trying to keep my thoughts positive, even though it is quite challenging! Thanks so much for your support! :-)
6:54 AM
Rob K said…
Hey Ron! You’re so right! We can learn from a negative experience and we can grow from them.

It’s hard to celebrate with my legs all wrapped up, but I won’t let this defeat me!

Happy new year!
6:56 AM
Bijoux said…
Wow, I didn't hear that about David Cassidy. Interesting!

Well, I'm glad to hear you're returning home soon and I hope that 2018 is a better year for all of us. Sending you positive vibes!
10:57 AM
Rob K said…
Oh thank you so much, Bijoux! Want to wish you and your family a very happy and very healthy new year!
5:44 PM
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