It Was a Very Good Year

If you are on Facebook at all these days, you'll likely come across posts in which people are expressing their frustration with the year 2016.  People just want it gone.  Lately, these types of posts seem to appear every time another celebrity dies; in which by all accounts, there have been a lot in 2016.

At times, I've been tempted to comment on some of these posts.  But I didn't, because I thought my response would be inappropriate in the moment.  You see, I thought they would be inappropriate because I'm of the opposite view. 

I've found 2016 to be a very good year.  But you know what?  This has been a pattern for me for quite a number of years.  2016 was a better year than 2015.  2015 was a better year than 2014 and so on.  It’s all about perspective and how you look at things.

Looking back, so much has happened.  There were a lot of changes these past few years.   We moved from Calgary to Edmonton in September 2014.  It was time to be of service to Martina's aging parents.  So we made a decision to move to Edmonton and spend more time with them.

Martina’s father died on June 4th of this year at the ripe old age of 89.  He spent the last two and a half years of his life in a nursing home; slowing deteriorating and dying.  So even though we miss him, his suffering is over.  He was such an awesome guy.  He will always be in our thoughts.  Martina's mother just turned 89 on November 16th and is in great health.  I think she'll be with us for some time still.

I find myself really fortunate.  I've managed to combine my passions with my work for almost two decades now.  As my interests changed and evolved, so did my work.  I've always had a passion for music and reproducing it with quality in my home.  I worked and managed audio/video electronic stores for a number of years to fuel my passion.  I've put together a great AV system that still gets used daily.  Music is part of my everyday life.

And then, a number of years ago, I discovered I have a passion for cycling.  Nowhere does it feel more “Zen like” to me than when I am on a bicycle, cranking out pedal strokes.  Being out on a mountain trail on a bicycle is one of the most thrilling things I've experienced.  Climbing to the top of a hill or mountain under your own physical power and energy and then to be greeted by an amazing view and descent down the mountain is awesome!  I spent a number of years working in a large, highly successful bike shop to fuel my passion and learned a lot there too.

My father bought me a gas-engine mini bike when I was eight years old.  I've been hooked on motorcycling ever since.   It's been fifty years now.  I've owned motorcycles for more years in my life than I've been without. 

To further fuel my passion, I worked in motorcycle shops.  I worked at a Harley Davidson shop in Calgary and purchased my first HD.  Up until recently, I worked in a motorcycle shop here in Edmonton.

I say recently, because I was laid off in mid October.  So here I am.  I'm going to be 58 years old in February, 2017.  I'm unemployed and am now on EI.  And, I live in my mother-in-law's basement.  How can I say that 2016 was a good year then?

I've long realized that my life is the result of all of the choices I've been making since I was born.  No one else has led me here.  I've always made choices that felt right for me, so it's no accident that I am exactly where I am today.  I feel good about where I am even though people might perceive it differently.

I've created a life that allows me to make decisions and choices based on ‘want’ instead of ‘need’.  Do I need to work?  Yes I do.  I feel the need to fuel my passion though. 
Sharing TR is one of my life's passions.  It had such a huge impact on my life that the thought it may have the same impact on someone else's life, is the fuel that keeps me going.   The method of TR for me helps me get a clear view of the path ahead of me.

The most amazing part of sharing Transcendental Rebirthing with others is the overwhelmingly positive feedback that we receive.  It makes it completely worth the effort for me.   It is this feedback that shows me I'm on the right track.

I am really looking forward to 2017.  I have the feeling it's going to be better than 2016.